Avengers Assemble
by AGodofIrony
Summary: As tension begins to build in the NYC, nine separate heroes will come together to form a brand new fighting force. As the Ray Sphere Blast brings them all together, can they save the city from a sudden explosion of meta humans and The First Sons? Part of my Earth 42 universe, and includes more crossovers then these two categories.
1. The Lady of Time

A.N. So this is another one of my fics in the 'Earth 42' universe I'm making.

Other fics of mine that belong in this (as of this chapter) are: _A New Team_, _Ten vs Twelve_, and _Of Doctors and Princes_.

None of those stories are required to read this, at least as of this chapter, but it does fill in some back story, such as how Michelangelo and Spider-Man know each other.

Additionally, the Iron Man in this universe is the Iron Man from the _Armored Adventures_ cartoon, which is Tony as a teenager and in CGI. And yet it is crazy awesome. I know, I know, I sound crazy, but trust me. If you have Netflix, the entire first season is on there for streaming, so go watch that once you read this. Or before. I can wait.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>"It's been chaotic in the streets...With Goblin and Shredder gone, the gangs are disintegrating...going into chaos..." a large man with white skin said, standing by an older man with a right arm made of metal, looking a figure in a large tube in front of them.<p>

"And?" the older man asked, seemingly unconcerned.

"I give you a lot of money for what you do," the white skinned man said, "And I expect results."

"And you get them. Have I ever lead you wrong, Lincoln?" the older man said, adjusting a lever. The figure inside the tube spasmed, screaming, but no sound coming out towards the two.

"I suppose you haven't, Kessler..." Lincoln sighed, "But need something I can use, to make sure people remember who The Big Man is here. If I can strike quickly enough, then I can control this city."

"Isn't this something you normally go to Osborn for?" Kessler asked, "He provides you with those 'super soldiers.' I'm still developing the Ray Sphere device."

"Osborn's disappeared. I can't find him..." Lincoln scowled, "Disappeared off the map...Same time Goblin disappeared."

"They're one and the same," Kessler said idly, "And he'll be back."

"I figured out that much," Lincoln said, the scowl still on his face, "I can't believe he was under my nose this entire time..."

"And now you want a new super soldier...someone who can lead your minions into taking over the underground of the city?" Kessler asked, "In exchange for what?"

"More funding for the First Sons, of course," Lincoln answered, "Along with more support against this...Beast, you speak of."

Kessler moved another lever, focusing on the controls, another spasm of energy into the person in the tube.

"There is only one person who can stop The Beast when he comes..." Kessler said, "...But more funding will help speed up the process. It is a deal then. You will have him."

Kessler waved his real hand towards the man in the tube, "His name is Malik. A very powerful Conduit, if my tests are any indication. He will work for you."

Lincoln smiled darkly, looking at the man in the tube, "Excellent then..."

* * *

><p>Deep within the sewers of New York City, four brothers of an unusual origin congregated in their home.<p>

"You really expect us to believe you're a Teen Titan now?" Raphael asked, looking skeptical at his brother Michelangelo.

"Yah, I even fought Robin! I beat him too! Though he was mind controlled so that doesn't really count, but still!" Mikey said with a grin, producing his Titans Communicator, "And see, I have proof."

"Looks like some cheap toy," Raphael smirked.

"Well, what about the news?" Mikey said, "It was all over the place! Five other heroes saved the Teen Titans!"

"Turtle Titan _was_ one the heroes they said helped..." Donatello pointed out, "Though they didn't get a photograph..."

"Oh, there were photos!" Mikey said, "Starfire said she wanted one of all of us."

"As it is, it's good to know we have allies," Leonardo finally spoke up, "The gangs in New York are going crazy, with Green Goblin gone and the Foot pulling out..."

"Oh, that reminds me, I'm going out tonight!" Mikey said suddenly, turning from his brothers and rifling through his bag, beginning to pull out his Turtle Titan costume, "Spider-Man and I are going patrolling! Cool, huh?"

"I don't know Mikey...that sounds dangerous," Leonardo said, frowning.

"I don't trust that spider guy," Raphael muttered, "Seems fishy to me."

"You read too much Bugle," Donatello spoke up, "He's never been accused by anyone else of wrong doing."

"Besides, gangs will be easy to deal with after fighting demons!" Mikey said, then paused as his three brothers turned to him.

"What? Didn't I tell you about the Winchesters? Man, Casey and Dean would get along great," Mikey chuckled.

* * *

><p>Night, and a red and blue figure swung through the air, coming to a stop on a water tower.<p>

"So, are you my sidekick then?" Spider-Man grinned, looking down at Turtle Titan, who was swinging his grappling hook idly, "Friendly Neighborhood Spider and Turtle."

"No way, you're _my_ sidekick," Mikey chuckled, "Though, I haven't really done much patrolling before...so I'll let you take the lead."

"Of course," Spider-Man said, dropping down and landing by Mikey, "And thanks for helping out. I'm usually doing these sorts of things solo. Good to have back up."

"Anytime!" Mikey said, "Let's go!"

The two swung off into the night, moving through the streets, determined to try and keep the gang fights to a minimum.

They came to a stop over a large warehouse, glancing inside, seeing several figures gathered within the dusty confines.

"Looks like we found a party," Spider-Man said, peering inside, listening closely.

There were two groups. One of them looked like regular street punks, several of them with purple tattoos of a dragon. In front of them was a very large man with blond hair, pulled into a ponytail, wearing a black coat with torn off sleeves.

One the other side were men in strange yellow suits, almost looking like beekeepers.

"What's with these guys?" Michelangelo wondered, "Collecting honey?"

"Don't know...never tangled with anyone like them..." Spider-Man answered, shaking his head, pulling out a camera, taking pictures now.

"Do you have what we asked for?" one of the beekeepers asked.

The large blond man smirked, nodding his head, turning and pointing towards a very large crate, which was surrounded by several of his goons.

"Yah...right here...You got what we want?" the man asked, a large grin on his face.

The beekeeper nodded, turning and waving his hand. Several others stepped forward, opening a smaller crate, showing several unusual looking guns.

"Whatever those are, we shouldn't let the Purple Dragons get their hands on them!" Turtle Titan said, turning to Spider-Man, who nodded.

"Let's take them down," Spider-Man said, sticking his camera to the glass ceiling, to take pictures

They jumped down, Spider-Man going right, towards the beekeepers, as Turtle Titan swung left towards the Purple Dragons.

"Sorry, but is this a private function?" Spider-Man wondered, swinging forward and knocking back one of the beekeepers with a swinging kick.

"Geez Hun, you really know how to throw a party!" Michelangelo laughed, knocking down a Purple Dragon with a swing of his shield, the large blond man growing angry.

"It's one of those turtles! Purple Dragons, destroy it!" Hun yelled, running forward and grabbing a gun from the crate the beekeepers had produced, aiming it at Turtle Titan.

"Nuh-uh-uh!" Spider-Man said, webbing the gun and pulling it out of Hun's hands, throwing it at a beekeeper, "You're not responsible enough to play with these toys!"

"AIM, get what we came for, and let's leave!" one of the beekeepers yelled, the others nodding, several running towards the large crate the Purple Dragons had brought.

"Not so fast!" Turtle Titan shouted, jumping forward and pulling out his nunchucks, swinging them around.

There was a blast of energy, one of the AIM members firing a laser blast from their guns, sending Michelangelo flying backwards, landing in a heap on the ground.

"Owwww..." Mikey muttered, struggling to get up.

"Got you now, turtle scum!" Hun yelled, slamming his foot down on Mikey's shell, trying to grind the turtle into the ground.

"Let go of him!" Spider-Man yelled, swinging at Hun, only for another laser blast to hit him, sending him flying into a crumbled heap on the ground.

"Ugh...looks like...we crashed the wrong party..." Mikey muttered, the two unable to move now, as several AIM members began to gather towards Spider-Man.

"Check the cargo!" the head AIM member yelled, and several of them produced crowbars, to open up the crate.

Wood splintered, and it opened with a loud bang, revealing a strange pod. It had a glass-like window on it, frosted over.

One of the AIM members held up a device, pointing it at the window. The ice began to defrost, and everyone looked as they saw a blonde haired woman in the pod, either dead or unconscious.

She had a green shirt on, burned and ripped in various places, along with camouflage pants, and like her shirt, was burned and ripped here and there. The rest of her seemed fine, however.

"Who is that?" Spider-Man wondered, as the AIM member began to scan the ship and the woman inside.

"Is it...?" one of them asked, in a hushed whisper.

"Yes...it is..." the one who scanned her said, barely contained glee in his voice, "This is exactly what we need!"

"Then let's move her out!" an AIM member yelled.

As they scrambled, leaving Turtle Titan and Spider-Man for the Purple Dragons, the ceiling suddenly crashed open, a red and yellow figure slamming into the ground, looking up at the villains assembled here.

"So it was AIM I tracked here. Along with some punks," the robotic looking figure said, "And...a giant turtle? And Spider-Man? That's...odd..."

"Iron Man!" an AIM member yelled, "We weren't expecting you!"

"Always expect the unexpected!" Iron Man declared, firing his repulser beams, knocking back AIM members left and right, turning and attacking the Purple Dragons as well.

"At least I'll still have the fun of killing one turtle!" Hun yelled, picking up Michelangelo, growling at the turtle.

"Iron Man, help Turtle Titan!" Spider-Man yelled, struggling to get up. Iron Man paused, then nodded, flying at Hun, knocking Michelangelo out of the Purple Dragon leader's grip, slamming him into a wall.

"Grrr...Purple Dragons, retreat!" Hun yelled, as he got up. The Purple Dragons turned, staring at Iron Man.

"No, stay and fight!" an AIM member yelled, "We can defeat these heroes, together!"

Iron Man chuckled, shaking his head, "Yah...about that..."

Another crash from the ceiling, and a larger metallic being landed in the warehouse, silver in color, with weapons all about it's design.

"Now you have to deal with War Machine as well!" the silver figure declared, shoulder rockets activating, preparing to fire.

"...Retreat!" the AIM member yelled, as the villains began to run.

"Are we going after them?" War Machine asked Iron Man, turning to his friend.

"No, we have to help these guys...and turtle...whatever," Iron Man said, then walked over to Spider-Man, helping him up, "Spider-Man huh? I've heard about you..."

"If it's from the Daily Bugle, don't believe a word they said," Spider-Man chuckled, rubbing his head, "Man...what hit me, a train?"

"Biometric neutralizer," Iron Man answered, "And...is that cloth, your suit? And you survived a direct hit?"

"Spiders are tough," Spider-Man shrugged, "And I think it's a cotton polyester blend, actually..."

Iron Man just shook his head, amazed, as War Machine approached Turtle Titan.

"That is one...interesting costume..." he commented, helping Michelangelo up.

"Thanks!" Mikey said, grinning, "A friend of mine helped me pick it out."

"I...see..." War Machine paused, "Why the turtle gimmick though? Or the turtle suit?"

Mikey paused, then laughed, shaking his head, "What? No, I'm a teenage mutant ninja turtle! Who's also a superhero!"

"Come on, we need to see if whoever's in that ship thing is okay..." Spider-Man mentioned, hobbling over to the opened crate, the window beginning to frost over again.

"I'm picking up a heartbeat...it's faint, but...wait..." Iron Man said, checking his scanners, "No...It's...two heartbeats. Yah...two sets of beats. Two heartbeats."

"Two? Is there someone else in there?" War Machine asked.

"Not that my scanner can tell," Iron Man said, shaking his head, "I think I can get her out though. Computer, can you access...whatever this is thing?"

There was a pause, and Iron Man nodded, "Good. Okay, can we release whoever this is safely?...Good, do it."

There was a hiss, and the ship began to open slowly, warming as the ship opened up, steam issuing from the contents.

After a few moments the steam dissipated, and the young woman's eyes fluttered, groaning slightly as she revived.

"Where am I...?" she muttered, "Who are all of you?"

"Is she British?" Spider-Man wondered, scratching his head, "Or what?"

"Hmmmm?" the woman muttered, then got up slowly, taking a few shaking steps forward, "Is this Earth...?"

"Uhhh...yah...New York City, to be specific..." War Machine answered, "Where...where are you from?"

"New York City...?" the woman said, rubbing her head, "Seems like my navigation did get wonky...I wanted London..."

She paused, then shook her head again, still getting her bearings, "And I'm from...well, I'm from the stars, let's just say that. I'm looking for something...and for someone."

"And what's that?" Iron Man wondered, scanning the woman. She looked human, but his scanners were telling him otherwise. She had two hearts, for one.

"A man called The Doctor," the woman answered, "I've been chasing after him, trying to find him...But in the meantime I look for adventure...New things to find, to explore...and to run very fast from."

The young woman grinned, then shook, nearly falling before she righted herself, "I guess I need to sit down a bit...Oh...and my name...you can call me Jenny."

"Well...I guess we should get you to someplace safe, Jenny," Iron Man suggested, "We'd like to help you..."

"Oh, thank you!" Jenny smiled, "I would appreciate that."

"Oh, I know where we can take her!" Michelangelo grinned, thinking of the perfect place.

He just hoped April wouldn't mind the unexpected house guests...

* * *

><p>"So I called the others," April sighed, sitting down in a chair, staring at the two in her living room. There was Michelangelo, who April was use to, but stuck to the wall was Spider-Man. Earlier Iron Man and War Machine had been there, dropping off the strange woman, but then left, having other things to deal with.<p>

A shower was running in April's bathroom, Jenny cleaning herself up, April lending her some clean clothes as well.

"Any clue on who this Doctor is?" Spider-Man wondered, as April walked over to a computer in the living room, sitting down at it.

"Jenny didn't tell me much...Said he was a wanderer...and her father," April answered, typing at the computer, "I get a few conspiracy websites looking around about him, but it'll take me some time to sort through everything..."

"I can have Donny do some checking too when we get back to the Lair!" Michelangelo suggested, sitting on the couch, munching some pizza April had in her fridge.

"Well, keep me posted," Spider-Man said, landing on the floor, heading for the window, "I gotta get going."

"Gotcha!" Mikey grinned, giving Spider-Man a thumbs up, "I'll give you a call on the Titans communicator! Oh, April, did you know? I'm a Teen Titan!"

"I know Mikey. You've only told me every time we've seen each other since you got back..." April sighed, shaking her head, as Spider-Man left via window, webbing away.

Michelangelo just grinned, leaning back in his couch, now just waiting for his brothers and Sensei.

* * *

><p>A.N. So <em>Tales of New York City<em> is a-go! Expect a lot of characters and some standalone parts, as we build to one big event in New York...

The Ray Sphere Blast, and the forming of The Avengers.

Also, don't expect The Avengers in this to be the same as the Marvel ones. XD Well, Iron Man and Captain America, but other then that...you'll see! I do have a list, but that's need to know basis...

Join us next chapter with the introduction of Captain America!


	2. Captain America

A.N. Here it is, the introduction of Captain America...

Enjoy!

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><p>A large fortress, hidden within a realm of ice and snow, far north, farther then any civilization should be.<p>

And it was collapsing.

Whole pillars were falling into the ice, crashing with a thunderous roar into the still night.

"Allonz-y!"

Two figures ran down a stone hallway, fleeing the impending doom that was nipping at their heels. One was a man with somewhat spiky brown hair with a long brown coat, grinning despite the rampant destruction behind them.

The second was a tall muscular blond man, in a blue, white, and red suit, a circular shield strapped to his back, a blue hood over his head.

The two skidded down a hallway, a large blue box standing in front of them.

The man with the spiky brown hair produced a key, opening the door and stepping inside, the blond man pausing for a moment, then hurried in as well.

He gasped, looking around inside. It was massive, filled with technology far more advanced then anything that he had seen before.

"It's..." he began, but was interrupted as the floor shook beneath them.

"Bigger on the inside, yup," the brown haired man said, pulling a lever, the fortress outside coming to a collapse around them.

There was an explosion from the console, and both of them turned, staring in mute horror as sparks flew from various parts of the machine, the brown haired man moving frantically, trying to fix it.

"Doctor, anything I can do to help?" the blond man wondered, looking worried. This was their only way back.

"No..." The Doctor frowned, "Sorry Steve...It's...oh no..."

The Doctor's brown eyes widened in terror as the blue box lurched suddenly, throwing the occupants to the side, The Doctor falling over a railing, Steve hitting the door.

The blue box began to vanish from it's current location in time and space, disappearing as the fortress crumbled around it.

It twisted and turned, Steve grabbing a handle to keep himself steady, not knowing were The Doctor was, flying through time and space and to who knows where...or when...

There a lurching halt, and the doors suddenly flew open, Steve losing his grip as he fell, hearing a voice shout, the doors closing as he fell through time...

* * *

><p>Steve awoke with a headache, pounding in his skull, trying to remember what had happened last, feeling hot concrete beneath him.<p>

Slowly, he pushed himself up. He was on some sort of roof, staring at a strange dish, aimed towards the sky. He took a moment, then picked himself up, checking himself for injuries.

He was sore, and a few places felt tender. He had some cuts and a few abrasions, those it seemed from the concrete beneath him, but nothing too serious. He was alive, and that's what mattered.

"Okay...keep calm Rogers..." Steve muttered to himself, pinching his nose, then biting back a hiss of pain. His nose was tender...from...

A flash, and he remembered a terrible man, with a face red and evil, resembling a skull...

"Red Skull...did he...no..." Steve Rogers shook his head again, remembering further.

"I...stopped him...no...that's not right...there was someone else...a medical officer? No...that's not right either..." Steve focused, trying to remember, "He was a doctor...but not a medical doctor...had...strange devices. And a police box...bigger on the inside..."

He shook his head, still getting his bearings, "We stopped Red Skull...his base was collapsing...so we ran...to the police box...something went wrong and..."

Steve trailed off, finally looking at the skyline.

Tall buildings greeted him, made of steel and glass. Giant billboards were everywhere, strange signs lit up around him.

"...At least everything's in English..." Steve muttered, then made his way towards the edge of the roof. He took a deep breath, then stared downwards, gasping.

There were cars, so many cars on the street, brighter and flashier then anything he remembered. People of all kinds walked along the sidewalks, not knowing they were being watched, going about their daily lives.

"...Where am I?" Steve wondered out loud, "...Or when am I?"

Determined to find an answer, he quickly located a fire escape, climbing down, ignoring the ache in the muscles, coming to a stop as he fell to the floor in the alley. Taking a moment to stretch, he then headed for the streets.

"Excuse me, sir, could I-" Steve began, removing his hood, attempting to talk to an older man in a suit, who simply frowned at him and continued on.

"Miss, could I trouble you for..." Steve started, but was again rejected as the woman huffed to herself and continued onwards.

Steve frowned, looking more closely at everyone. Their dress was strange, but not overly so. The vast majority of people seemed to wearing casual outfits, something Steve normally wouldn't see being worn in public like this.

Girls were dressed more provocatively, guys had pants too big for them, and several had piercings. People of all kinds had unusual hairdos, some of varying colors.

Everyone seemed to be distracted in some way as well, holding some strange device in their hands, talking into a small thin box, or bobbing their head to unseen music, some kind of wire running from their ears into various pockets.

"Hey, nice Captain America costume, man!"

Steve turned, seeing a teenage boy with hair only down his middle, sticking up like a fan. He had a piercing in his nose and ears, and his hair was tied a bright green. He wore a sweater with the arms either torn off or hastily cut off, and his pants had seen better days, ragged and also looking torn.

"You going to a party or something?" the teen wondered, "Like the battle damage look. Slick."

"Slick?" Steve wondered, frowning, then shook his head, "Look...can you help me? I'm a bit lost. Where is this?"

"Fourth street," the teen shrugged, "East Park Way is that way." He pointed behind him.

"I mean...what city is this?" Steve asked, clarifying.

The teen paused, then grinned, "Ohhh...I see! You're in character. Gotcha, gotcha. It's New York City, the Big Apple, yadda, yadda, yadda."

"_Yadda?"_ Steve wondered now, but had more important questions to ask.

"What year is it?" Steve then asked.

"2006," the teen answered, "That's what...fifty years later for you?"

Steve reeled. Roughly sixty years... He was in the future... That strange man had said his ship could travel through time as well, but this...

"I need a newspaper," Steve said, after a moment, looking around.

"Newspaper?" the teen asked, raising an eyebrow, "Dude, those are old hat. You need the internet."

"What's the internet?" Steve now asked, confused.

The teen sighed, rubbing his head, "Ehhhh, sorry man, been fun and all, but this act is growing old. I got things to do."

The teen turned and headed into the crowd, Steve frowning as he lost sight of him. He had to figure out just what had happened.

A shriek of fear interrupted his thought process, turning as he saw a wall simply explode outwards, reigning down debris and dust upon the street, several figures moving from within.

"Come on, let's get out of here before a costume shows up!" a figure yelled. Rogers frowned, looking closer. The wall of the building had belonged to a bank...

Steve pulled his shield off his back, running forward, leaping over a car, bringing his shield around and throwing it hard, letting it fly.

"What the hell is-"

Wham! One of the figures went down hard, the shield slamming into his midsection, throwing him backwards, Steve rushing forward, throwing a hard punch into the gut of a second figure, forcing him down with a low sweep next.

"Heh...should have known these flunkies wouldn't last long in a city like New York..."

Captain America turned, staring at the third figure. He looked a little scrawny, wearing a black outfit with a gray skull-like mask, a red 'X' emblazoned on his chest, a belt with various tools and gadgets.

"Like the costume. Very retro," Red X grinned beneath his mask, "Think you would have debuted in July or something, but, whatever...Wonder if that shield of yours is half as good as the originals."

Captain America took a step back, then dodged to the side, grabbing his shield and jumping back up, racing Red X, who hadn't bothered to try and stop him.

"You ready, Cap'?" Red X asked, producing two large red Xs, then charged at Captain America, attacking with a series of strikes, Captain America dodging them or blocking them with his shield, the two moving carefully through the debris and unconscious bodies of Red X's employees.

"Why are you robbing a bank?" Captain America asked, frowning, "You're very skilled...you could be doing a lot of good."

"Heh, sorry, but I only look out for myself," Red X frowned, jumping back, considering his next move, "I'm not in this for the villainy, just for the cash...and sometimes the thrills."

Captain America looked around the ruined front area of the bank, pausing.

"...You made sure no civilians would be by the wall when you detonated your explosives...and made sure they were contained..." he muttered.

"Like I said, I look out for myself. Doesn't do me any good having some civilians dead around me," Red X shrugged, picking up one of the bags of cash, slinging it over his back, "Anyways, it's been fun, but it's time I go!"

Red X grinned, then simply seemed to vanish in a blur, leaving Captain America alone.

"Halt!"

Captain America paused, turning slowly, seeing some kind of red and yellow figure standing outside, holding it's hand up, energy collecting in the palm.

"Wait, this is a misunderstanding! I was trying to stop the robbers!" Captain America said, holding his hands up, showing he meant no harm.

The robotic figure paused, lowering it's palm.

"...Why are you dressed like Captain America?" the figure asked, confused.

"I am Captain America," Steve Rogers said, "I think...I think I got lost in time, or something..."

The figure was quiet, staring at Cap's shield.

"...Your shield...it's his...no other metal has that composition on the planet," the figure said, sounding almost breathless, "Look...you should come with me. I might be able to help."

Captain America grinned, nodding and stepping forward, "Thanks. I need the help. What's your name, anyways?"

"You can call me Iron Man..."

* * *

><p>"So just because this guy says he's Captain America, you bring him back to the lab?" Rhodey asked, looking angry as Tony defended his decision.<p>

The two were in the main lab, Captain America in a separate room.

"Look, this guy has Captain America's shield," Tony said, "He's gotta be him."

"Or, he found the shield and took it for himself!" Pepper Potts, the third member of Team Iron Man said, almost cheerfully, "Ohhh, maybe he's some evil clone of Captain America, come to take over the world!"

"Soooo...ignoring that theory, I just have a gut feeling, Rhodey," Tony said, "I mean, this guy doesn't really seem like he's from around here. When I offered to help him, he agreed right away. He's trusting. He looks like Captain America, from the old film reels."

"Anyone can put on a costume, Tony," Rhodey frowned, "I still don't know about this...we still have that stuff with AIM to worry about, along with that Spider-Man and Turtle Titan guy..."

Tony sighed, shaking his head, "Look, I'm not asking for you to trust him. I'm going to talk to him, help him..."

Rhodey frowned, then headed for the door, "Fine, whatever. Call me later and tell me what happens."

As he exited, Tony turned to Pepper, who was still grinning.

"And you?" Tony asked.

"Ohhh, maybe he's an alien shape shifter in disguise! Or some alien slug has burrowed in his brain and taken control!" Pepper offered, "Though I think the evil clone thing is more likely..."

"Are you going to stay here though, and help?" Tony wondered.

"Of course! This is a once in a life time chance to meet Captain America! But, uhhh...are you going to wear your armor?" Pepper asked, frowning, "I mean..."

"No...I'm sure this is Captain America...if I can't trust him..." Tony said, trailing off, "My dad told me stories about him. My grandfather and Captain America worked together, in the war. My granddad was who created his shield, after all..."

Tony then headed for the room, knocking on it.

"Umm...Captain America?" Tony called, "You can come out now."

"Please, call me Steve," Cap said, opening the door up, then paused, looking down at Tony. His hood was off, showing his face to Tony and Pepper.

"...Iron Man?" Steve wondered, raising an eyebrow, "You look...familiar..."

Tony was quiet, not sure what to say.

"...Stark?" Steve finally asked, "Are you a Stark?"

"Umm...yah," Tony nodded, "Tony Stark...I'm...the grandson of the Stark you knew..."

Steve was quiet, looking around the lab, marveling slightly at the tech within it.

"...Any chance you've heard of someone called The Doctor?" Steve asked, after a moment, "He was a strange man with some unusual tech too..."

Tony's eyes widened, remembering that name.

"I have! There...there was this girl, looking for him. Her name is Jenny. Said he was her dad," Tony said, "Do you know where he is?"

"When would be a better question..." Steve muttered, "He's a time traveler. He helped me take down Red Skull...We were escaping the base, as it was crumbling...went into his ship. It then went haywire, and dumped me out in this time. I'll need to find him too, if I'm to get back..."

Tony and Pepper were quiet, sharing a glance.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, seeing the concern on their faces.

"...Captain America was never found after you took down Red Skull..." Tony said carefully, "It's been the general belief you perished that day..."

"Or were abducted by aliens!" Pepper chimed up, "Which I guess is actually correct! Is this Doctor from Mars?"

Steve took a step back. Never found...history said he died...

Which meant if he found a way back, he would change history...change everything...

"Look...I know some people who might be able to help you," Tony said, "An organization named S.H.I.E.L.D..."

Steve nodded, "I see...thank you, for all your help."

"It's fine! You're Captain America after all! Just...one thing," Tony said, "Don't tell anyone who I am. I'll be contacting S.H.I.E.L.D as Iron Man. Don't let them know I'm Tony Stark."

"An odd request, but I'll honor it," Captain America nodded, holding out his hand to shake, "I don't know why someone like you should need to hide his face, but I respect your choice."

Tony smiled, taking Steve's hand and shaking it.

"And if you ever need help, I'll be there," Steve added, "It's least I can do for your help and trust..."

* * *

><p>A.N. Captain America has entered the scene, drawing us ever closer to the formation of The Avengers...<p>

Join us next time, as the gangs wars in New York City begin to heat up...


	3. The Blue Bomber

A.N. The next chapter of _Tales of New York_! Starring a famous blue bomber...

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>Project Name: Mega Man<p>

Project Intent: Creation of a nanosuit exoskeleton armor, capable of adapting to the environment

Project Status: On hold, funds being transferred to Project Monger. Pending cancellation.

An old man frowned at his screen, staring at the screen. His life's work, being shut down. He wanted to create something that could help people. A suit that could adapt, change, useable for people in high risk jobs. Rescue workers, policemen, firefighters, and more.

But he had repeatedly failed to get the armor to work with any living subject, the nanobots unable to properly bond with his test subjects. Not even with the lab rats.

He turned to the side, holding up a vial of what looked like blue sand, particles so small one could only imagine they saw them. With care, he unstopped the vial, pouring it into a small device, then placed the device into a small box, sealing it with great care.

Once that was done, he turned to the phone, picking it up, dialing a number.

"Hello? Yes, I need a courier to deliver a package. The best you have. The contents are quite delicate," the man said, "And preferably as soon as possible. I will pay whatever price needed...thank you, yes..."

Giving his address, he sat back in his chair, giving a soft sigh, and waited. It would all be happening very soon.

* * *

><p>"Rock, what did I tell you about tracking dirt into the house!"<p>

"Ahh, I'm sorry Roll! I forgot! Ahhhhhh!"

Two young figures ran around the modest house, a girl with a blonde ponytail chasing after her brown haired brother, wielding a broom with deadly efficiency, angry at her brother Rock for tracking dirt into the house she had just clean.

After a few choice whacks, Roll's anger subsided, and she smiled at her brother.

"Anyways, how are you doing Rock?" Roll asked, "What were you doing out anyways? You know Light says we have to be careful about going outside..."

"I was just going for a walk..." Rock said, sighing softly, "I wanted to get out a bit..."

Roll frowned, not liking her brother going against their father's wishes, then turned, heading to the kitchen.

"Light says he's going to be late at the office tonight, so it's just you and me for dinner tonight!" Roll chimed, "What do you want?"

Before Roll could answer, there was a loud knocking at the door. Both of them tensed, wondering who it was.

"Cole McGrath, Courier service!" a voice yelled from the door, "I have a package to a...Rock and Roll? Huh...It's from a Dr. Light."

Rock hurried to the door, opening it up and looking to a young man with a shaved head and yellow jacket, holding a package in one hand.

"I'm Rock," the boy said, "I can take it."

Cole stared at the boy, then nodded, "Yah, you fit the doctor's description. Here."

Cole handed the boy the package, "And he said you're suppose to open it. Something about not letting the girl open it up..."

Rock just nodded, wondering why his father had sent him a package. They were suppose to see each other later tonight when they came home, anyways.

"Thank you..." Rock said, Cole nodding and heading towards his bike now, Light having given him an extensive tip already. Rock closed the door, bringing the package into the living room, setting it down on their coffee table.

"What is it?" Roll wondered, walking into the living room.

"Not sure...but I'm suppose to open it...It's from Light..." Rock said, "Do you have some scissors?"

Roll nodded, grabbing some scissors from a nearby desk, handing them to her brother. Rock took them, and slowly began to open the package.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry Light, but I tried my best to convince them that your project should continue getting funding."<p>

"I know Wily...but I'm worried about something else..." Dr. Light, the man who had sent the package said to his old friend, frowning.

"Are you worried about losing your job?" Wily asked, feigning worry, "If that's the case I'm certain I can get you transferred to Project Monger. I could use your help on it, and that's where, unfortunately, your funding went."

"No, no, it's not that. I'm close to retirement anyways, and I have plenty saved..." Light sighed, "It's...Rock and Roll..."

"The music?" Wily asked, utterly confused, "What do you mean?"

"No...not that..." Light said, "Do you remember our first project together?"

"Project Astro...Humanoid robots, for assisting...when we worked for Sumdac..." Wily said, "We couldn't get it right...Kept failing."

"Right...well...I kept trying, after we left the company," Light answered, "And one day...I succeeded."

Light went quiet, staring intently at his friend, who wasn't sure how to process the information he had been given.

"You did it? You cracked the X factor?" Wily asked, "Did you have help? From that Wakeman woman?"

"No, I managed to figure it out myself," Light answered, "At least I think I have...they seem...well...they don't know they're robots."

Wily raised his eyebrows, his scientific interest peaked, "Why then, Light, this is stupendous! We'll show it to Stane, and he'll give you an entire laboratory...You must show me how you did it as well, I've been perplexed by it for years myself."

"No, Wily, listen to me, please," Light said, "Stane is not someone we can trust. I came to work with Stark Industries with you because I believed Stark to be a good man. I believed he would not twist our inventions to evil purposes. But this Stane...I fear if he learns this, they will take my creations and tear them apart, just to see how they work...that they will make an army of robotic soldiers..."

Wily was quiet, frowning, trying to figure out how to turn this to his advantage, "I see then...I will honor your wishes then, Light...for now, though, would you do me the favor of showing me your work on this? I would love to see how you figured it out."

"Of course, of course," Light said, "Here..."

Light produced a small disk, placing it in the hands of the man he thought he could trust, "This is the only copy of my work. Please, destroy it after you look at it."

"Thank you...and I am sorry, Light," Wily said, then grinning madly, as several guards appeared from the two sides of the hall. Stark Industry guards.

"What? Wily, what is the meaning of this?" Light asked, eyes wide, "I thought...we were friends..."

"Friends?" Wily scowled, "No! You only kept me around for your amusement! I only got the job at Sumdac, and then here because you refused to take the job without me! I was always in your shadow..."

"No, Wily, my friend, it was never like that..." Light protested, his heart sinking in his chest, "I truly believed you were a great scientist...I never could have done anything without your help..."

Wily scowled, turning away from Light as the guards came forward to take Light, Wily slipping the disc quietly into his own pockets.

"I don't believe you..." Wily scowled, walking away.

"We have a team heading to Light's house now...we'll find those robots too..." one guard told Wily. Wily just nodded, heading towards his own lab.

* * *

><p>Rock opened the package, staring at the strange machine inside of it.<p>

"What is that?" Roll wondered.

"Not sure..." Rock answered, then made to grab it.

As soon as his right hand touched it, the machine sprung to life, glowing a soft blue light, scanning over Rock. Rock sat motionless, then cried out, as a needle jabbed into him, sending some blue cloud into him. He couldn't move, frozen as the blue cloud was injected. When it ended, the machine fell silent, and Rock pulled his hand back quickly, staring at his finger. No wound...

"Rock, are you okay?" Roll asked, grabbing his arm suddenly and staring at it, eyes wide, "No wound...Do you feel alright?"

"Yah...I feel fine..." Rock muttered, shaking his head, "A little shaken up, but that's alright..."

Roll let go of his hand, then stared at the machine in the box.

"Mega Man Armor Nanite Dispenser?" Roll wondered, peering at some writing on the machine, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know...hopefully we can ask Light when he gets home tonight," Rock smiled.

And then the door was blasted open.

Rock and Roll spun, eyes wide as several armed men burst into their home.

"Don't move!" one man yelled, aiming his gun at Rock, "You are hereby property of Stark Industries!"

"What, property?" Roll growled, "We're people! You can't do that!"

She held up her broom, then charged at the man, not thinking about the consequences.

The man turned his gun. They looked so human to him, but he had been told they were simply robots. He could shoot them with impunity...as long as he didn't damage the hardware too badly...

"Roll!" Rock yelled, jumping up and racing forward, seeing the gun move towards his sister.

Mega Man System Engaged

"_What...?"_

Rock felt his body began to change, seeing a flash of blue begin to appear around him, the gun firing, bouncing off his arm as he tackled Roll.

He stood up, shaking his head, staring down at himself.

He wore blue armor now, with a blue helmet and visor over his head. Rock shook his head, staring up at the armed men who had invaded his house.

"Get out of my house!" Rock yelled, his right hand changing into a small cannon, holding it up, energy beginning to charge in it.

He fired, sending the men flying backwards and outside, where they landed on the concrete.

"Rock...are you alright?" Roll wondered, looking up at her brother, picking herself up.

"Yah...I'm fine..." Rock nodded, staring down at himself, his right hand changing back to normal, "...Come on Roll...We need to get out of here. Find Light. Find out what's happening..."

Roll nodded, taking her brother's hand, the two running outside into the oncoming night...

* * *

><p>"What do you mean they got away?" Stane yelled, looking at his top security officers, "Nothing in Light's files said they were combat oriented!"<p>

"Well...that's the thing sir..." one said, "One of them got this blue armor thing...just sort of appeared...And when our guys came to and searched the house, they found this."

He produced the device that had injected Rock with a stream of blue nanites.

"...The Mega Man Armor..." Stane said, eyes widening, "Light adjusted it so it would work on robots...That's...almost brilliant. Do we have the data on that armor?"

"No sir...Light destroyed all the data. The only way we could get it...is...well..." the guard trailed off.

"Of course...we get the Iron Man armor finally, and now we need to hunt another one..." Stane growled, "Well then...I want everyone we can send out there, searching for that armor!"

* * *

><p>"So where are we going, Rock?" Roll wondered, as the two rested on top of a rooftop, "We don't even know where Light works..."<p>

"I don't know..." Rock frowned, still in the blue armor. He had been unable to figure out how to get it off.

Roll sighed, looking over the edge of the building, then paused, looking closer.

"Rock, over here!" Roll yelled, waving her arm. Rock hurried over, staring down. Several men were surrounding another man, the group wearing various purple clothing, all holding a weapon of some kind. The man on his own had a yellow jacket and shaved head, holding up his fists, looking a little worse for wear.

"...That's the guy who delivered the package to us!" Rock said, eyes widening, "He'll know where Light is..."

"Then you better go help him!" Roll said, "Hurry!"

Rock nodded, jumping to the ledge of the building, taking a deep breath, then jumping again, his instincts telling him it would be fine.

He landed on the ground with a loud thud, behind the purple dressed hooligans.

"Hey...ummm...go away!" Rock yelled, not having any experience in superhero banter.

The group paused, a few of them turning and seeing Rock, laughing.

"Hahahahaha! Who's the shrimp in the Halloween costume?" one of them laughed, swinging his chain, "You just made a big mistake..."

"Run for it kid!" Cole yelled, "Don't be a hero 'cause of me. I can handle these punks!"

Rock frowned, shifting back in the alleyway, staring as three of the group peeled off and turned towards him.

"You don't scare me!" Rock yelled, "Because I'm...ummm..."

"MEGA MAN!" Roll yelled from above, "You're Mega Man!"

"Yah!" Rock said, clenching his fist, "My name's Mega Man!"

"Hah, you're going to be a mega piece of shit on the ground soon!" one goon laughed, swinging his chain around at Rock.

The blue bomber rolled to the side, focusing as his cannon appeared on his arm again, taking aim and firing wildly.

The blast missed, hitting the wall behind the gang, but it did make them pause.

Meanwhile, Cole was dealing with others, ducking a lead pipe and throwing a punch, burying it into one of the members, leaving himself open as another kicked him in the chest, sending him backwards, air escaping his lungs.

"Guh!" Cole said, gasping deeply, a lead pipe slamming into his left arm, forcing him down now, as the others began to swarm him.

"Enough!"

Something sliced through the air, a lead pipe cut just above it's wielder's grip, the metal pipe hitting the floor with a loud clang.

"Oh shit, it's one of them!" one of the gang yelled, seeing a strange green figure, wielding two katanas.

Mega Man's eyes widened, seeing the figure move through the gang, taking out weapons, kicking and punching with precision.

In a matter of moments, it was over, the gang either unconscious or fleeing into the night.

"...Thank you!" Mega Man said, running forward to the figure, then paused, looking up at the giant mutated turtle, "Who are you?"

"Huh..." the figure said, rubbing his head, "I'm usually asked what, first...My name is Leonardo..."

"Well thanks," Cole muttered, stepping forward, closing his eyes, "Ugh...You saved me...Don't care what you look like after that."

Leonardo smiled, then turned to look at them, "Why were the Purple Dragons after you, anyways?"

"My money," Cole answered, "I'm a courier...Make a good chunk in tips on a good day...And hey...you look familiar..."

He turned, looking to Mega Man, trying to place where he had seen that face.

"Oh! I'm Rock!" Mega Man said, pointing to himself, "You delivered a package to me earlier...Oh! I need your help! I need to find Light, the man who gave you the package to deliver! I think something bad is going to happen to him..."

Cole was quiet, looking down, then nodded, "Well...I can take you to the building, but that's it..."

"Thank you," Rock smiled, then looked up, as Roll climbed down the fire escape.

"We need to find you somewhere safe..." Rock said, turning to his sister.

Leonardo was quiet, then sighed, stepping forward.

"I can call my brothers...they can bring your sister to our home for now. This...Light. He's your father?" Leonardo asked.

"He is!" Roll nodded, "And thank you so much!"

"Yes...thank you...but what about you?" Rock wondered, looking to Leonardo.

"I...shall assist you," Leonardo said, "I know what it's like to want yo save one's father..."

"Thank you!" Rock smiled, "I don't have much experience with the outside world..."

"That makes two of us..." Leonardo sighed.

* * *

><p>Stark Industries tower...Leonardo and Mega Man stood on a rooftop across from it, trying to figure out a way inside.<p>

"Could we just blast in?" Mega Man asked, his right hand shifting into his blaster.

"No...we must be stealthy..." Leonardo said, producing his Shell Cell, "Donny, what can you get me about Stark Industry towers? Any ways in?"

"Well...good news and bad news. Good news, it's a lot easier then the Utrom building...Bad news...it's still not that simple," Donatello answered, typing at a computer back in their lair, "Also, tell Rock that Mikey and Raph got his sister here."

"Right," Leonardo said, then turning to Rock, "Your sister's safe...but we're still working on how to get in..."

Rock nodded, glad his sister was safe. Now they just had to focus on getting his father, Light, out.

"Found a way!" Donatello said, "On the roof, there's a vent system. Should be big enough for you guys to fit through. I can't help that much...what the, Mikey get away-"

"Hey, Stark Industries?" a new voice over the Shell Cell said, "Why don't we get that Iron Man guy to help? He and Stark Industries seem to have a rivalry thing going. He might know something!"

"And do you know how to contact him?" Leonardo heard Raphael say over the phone.

"Ummm...giant iron signal in the sky?" Mikey asked. Leonardo then heard an audible thud, Raph hitting his brother.

"Look, we don't have time to go hunting down superheroes..." Leonardo sighed, "It's me and Rock-"

"Call him Mega Man!" Roll shouted over the phone, "He's in that armor!"

"...Me and Mega Man..." Leonardo said, sighing again, "I'll call if something happens...for now, just wish us luck."

Leonardo tuned off his Shell Cell, putting it away for now, "Alright...follow me..."

The teenage mutant ninja turtle turned, moving away from the ledge, giving himself enough room to run and take a leap into the air, landing on the roof of Stark Industries, moving towards the vent.

Mega Man took a deep breath, taking several steps back, then ran forward and jumped, landing on the roof and rolling, hopping up and heading towards the vent as well.

"Let's go," Leonardo said, slashing the vent open, jumping in. Mega Man followed, as they hurried through.

"Here..." Leonardo said, "Be quiet..."

Mega Man nodded, as Leonardo fell downwards, landing quietly behind a guard. He pulled out a sword, grabbing the guard, his sword coming towards the guard's neck.

"Where is Dr. Light?" Leonardo asked, "I won't ask twice..."

"He's...tenth floor..." the guard gulped, staring down at the sword, unable to focus on anything else, "Room 7B..."

"Thank you," Leonardo said, his hand moving, knocking out the guard, then looked up at Mega Man, "Tenth floor. Let's go."

Leonardo darted down the hallway, Mega Man jumping down.

"Careful...cameras..." Leonardo said, stopping at an turn in the hallway, "Okay...be quiet, and follow right after me."

Mega Man nodded, and Leonardo ran into the hallway, Mega Man following, stopping under a camera.

Leo nodded, moving again, Mega Man following yet again. After a few more moves back and forth, they came to the elevator.

"...Alright...we'll have to do this quick and dirty," Leonardo said, "When we get to the tenth floor...get ready to let loose..."

Mega Man nodded, as they entered the elevator, Leonardo hitting the tenth floor button. He then jumped up, hiding on the top of the elevator, Mega Man holding up his right arm, his cannon appearing, beginning to charge his blaster.

The elevator stopped, opening...to no one.

Mega Man paused, stopping his blaster and stepping forward, looking around.

"Sorry kid...but I'm gonna have to take you in..."

Mega Man turned, as a figure in a dark blue armor appeared, his helmet looking like a hockey mask stepped forward.

A spear shot from his arm, Mega Man ducking to the side, barely avoiding the projectile.

"Take this!" he yelled, firing his charge blast, sending a wave of energy forward.

It hit the man, sending him backwards, before he stopped himself with boosters from his suit, floating forward.

"This suit Stane's given me sure does help..." the man said, then spun, holding up his arm, blocking a slash from Leonardo's swords.

"Think some turtle can handle Sports Master?" the man growled, throwing a punch and sending the turtle into the wall.

"Don't hurt him!" Mega Man yelled, firing several blasts of energy now, trying to take down Sports Master. The armored man turned, producing a diskus from his arm, blocking the attacks, then spinning around, throwing it hard at the blue bomber, knocking him backwards.

"Ugh..." Mega Man frowned, "I gotta figure out how to beat this guy..."

Leonardo was back up, slashing at Sports Master, being blocked by what looked like a hockey stick. Leo swung with both swords now, trying to find an opening.

Mega Man's eyes widened suddenly, feeling something...

Copying Battle Data

Mega Man held up his hands, now, his cannon shifting, his armor turning into a lighter blue color, two swords appearing in his hands.

He darted forward, joining Leonardo, finding himself knowing what the turtle was doing, making it two on one, forcing the armored Sports Master back, slashing at his armor.

Mega Man's new weapon proved effective, taking out parts of the armor, forcing the villain back.

"Time to finish this!" Mega Man declared, holding his right hand up, his armor shifting back to it's regular blue color, his right hand becoming a cannon yet again.

Energy began to collect, Mega Man bringing it downwards, continuing to let it build up, Sports Master's eyes widening.

"Mega Blast!" Mega Man yelled, firing a powerful beam, sending Sports Master back and throwing several walls.

"...Ugh..." Mega Man muttered, his armor beginning to falter, disappearing around him, changing back to Rock.

"...Come on, we better hurry..." Leonardo said, sheathing his swords. "Seven B..."

Rock nodded, the two hurrying, looking at the doors, soon coming to one.

"I hope this isn't a trap..." Leonardo said, slashing the door open. Rock stepped forward, pushing it open.

And saw Dr. Light, sitting at a desk, looking up, alarmed that Rock was here.

"Rock...why are you here? Where is your sister?" Light asked, concerned, "It's not safe...you need to leave!"

"I came to save you!" Rock said, "I got the Mega Man armor that you sent...And Roll is fine...Please...we have to hurry!"

Light frowned, then shook his head, "I'm sorry Rock...I can't go with you...I have to stay here."

"But why?" Rock demanded, stepping forward, "Please...tell me..."

Light sighed, looking to the side, unsure of what to say to his creation.

"It is...complicated. But there are things I must do here before I can leave. Please...go...find somewhere safe. Protect your sister...and never let anyone capture you or the Mega Man armor...please...I swear, when I finish here, I will find you...and I will explain everything..."

Rock shook, tears beginning to well up, then nodded, turning.

"...Alright..." he said, "Goodbye..."

"Rock...one last thing..." Light said softly. Rock paused, turning.

"Rock...I love you and your sister. You are my children...you are special...do not let anyone tell you otherwise..." Light told his creation.

"...We love you too...dad..." Rock smiled softly, then closed the door, looking to Leonardo.

"...We better get out of here..."

* * *

><p>Leonardo and Rock had managed to escape the tower, and were down in the sewers, at the Turtle's Lair.<p>

Roll had already met the others, and had gotten to work tidying up the place, insisting on helping however she could.

"You are both welcome to stay as long as you need to," Splinter told Rock and Roll, "Please...what is ours, is yours."

"Thank you," Rock said, nodding to Splinter, "And we'll both help out however we can as well..."

* * *

><p>A.N. Woooo, longest update yet!...Only three chapters though. XD<p>

Pretty soon most of the Avengers will have been introduced somehow...There's still one or two more chapters for that, along with some more build up with other things...After all, the gang wars are still heating up...

I also hope you all liked my take on Mega Man...Muhahahaha.

I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Return of a Demon King

A.N. I am sooooo sorry for the late update. I will try to update this stuff quicker. Since a lot of the setup is done, you might see the start of the Avengers next chapter, but I make no promises.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want to come here? I mean, with the past and all..."<p>

"I'm sure...Besides, I'd need to confront this place sooner or later."

"Are you _really_ sure because I think we could go somewhere else..."

"Scott, do you not want to be here?"

"No, no, no, I'm just worried about...Ohhhhh, Nintendo Store!"

Ramona Flowers sighed as her boyfriend quickly became distracted by a nearby store, selling all things Nintendo.

"Scott Pilgrim, we're not here to buy video games," Ramona said, stomping after the Canadian who had entered the store and was currently drooling over a display holding the latest video game console.

"But this is so much more funnnnn," Scott said, having moved towards a playable display, now proceeding to lose horribly to a six year old.

Ramona sighed, grabbing Scott by the arm, dragging him out of the store. The two had come here from the fabled land of Canada, Ramona searching for some kind of closure to a dark time in her life, Scott because he wanted to be there for her, even if his actions said otherwise.

The two headed towards an abandoned building. Once a popular and prosperous club, it had become abandoned when it's owner mysteriously disappeared.

The Chaos Theatre was just a few blocks away...

* * *

><p>"I still think it's doubtful anyone is using this place," a tall man with a British accent frowned. His hair was dark, almost black, bangs covering his forehead. His eyes were green, glasses over them to aid his eyesight. He wore simple jeans and a polo shirt, looking vaguely annoyed.<p>

"To be honest, so am I," the man next to him said. He did not have a British accent. It was American, but not the New York style, something the British man didn't seem to recognize.

"There wasn't any evidence that Voldemort had any sort of contacts in America," the British man frowned, looking at the decrypted walls around them. This place had once been a popular spot, buzzing with people, activity. Now it was dead, graffiti written on the walls, anything of value having been taken by looters.

"True, but that doesn't mean someone didn't want to emulate the guy," the American shrugged, "Trends come and go, and unfortunately for everyone involved, Voldemort is not something I'd want to see happen again, Potter."

The British man paused, surprised that his fellow used the Dark Lord's name. He supposed it made sense. In Britain Voldemort had been a very real thing, someone who could strike anyone down. In America, they had the comfortable distance of the Atlantic Ocean between them, with Voldemort having no apparent interest in the former colonies.

It surprised him many times in how things were different across the pond. While magic was not something universally known or acknowledged, it did seem more rampant, and taking various forms that Harry was not use to. He supposed he should have read the dossier his friend Hermione had made for him before the trip, but he hadn't expected what he found.

"Well if there's anything here it's not going to be out in the open..." Harry said idly, pulling out his wand as he scanned the walls, then stopped at a bathroom door. "Maybe through there..."

The American nodded, following after Harry. The British wizard pause, pointing his wand at the door, muttering a spell. He stepped forward into the darkness, pausing to mutter a 'Lumos' before continuing on, a light from the tip of his wand now lighting the way.

* * *

><p>"You want to release <em>him<em>?"

Hsi Wu looked frightened, staring at the two figures in front of him. Hsi Wu was a demon a little smaller then a man in terms of height, but he had large bat-like wings behind him, a strong tail on the ground as well. His head was large and full of teeth, his entire appearance gargoyle-like.

"Of course!" a blond man in a nice suit and British accent said, grinning from ear to ear, "I really want to meet him."

"I have to agree with the demon here..." another man said, leaning against the wall. He wore a black combat suit, a mask divided with one half orange, the other black, and only one eye visible. "It's too risky."

"Oh, pish posh, it'll be fine, right Hex?" the blond man asked, turning to what looked like a ten year old with pale skin and black hair.

"I have to admit, I have some doubts myself..." Hex answered, "But you've yet to steer us wrong, so I will perform the proper rites."

"I'm heading out then," the masked man said, getting up from his spot, walking down a dark passageway, shaking his head.

"Fine then Slade, have fun!" the blond haired man said, still grinning.

"Look, I really think you should rethink this," Hsi Wu said, holding his hands up, "This guy scared me and my siblings. All eight of us. We didn't hold a candle to this guy. The only reason he didn't kill us too was because we swore loyalty to him!"

"And then when he was sealed away the first time, none of you did anything to save him, simply taking over parts of the world for yourself," the British man said, his tone suddenly serious, "When he freed himself again in the more recent past, he found out what happened and was planning on killing all of you...Until some humans sealed him away again."

Hsi Wu gulped, nodding his head, "He...he was a mad man! He would have killed everything, including us! What's the point of ruling a wasteland?"

The blond man frowned, shaking his head, "Either way, I'm afraid your references aren't very good. Not very ambitious, disloyal to your last boss...I'm afraid I'm just going to let you go."

"Let me go...?" Hsi Wu asked, eyes wide, "Wh-what do you mean?"

The blond man grinned, turning his back to Hsi Wu and heading down the dark passageway that his associate had started down earlier.

"Hex, show Hsi Wu our...severance package..." the man said idly, waving his hand.

"Of course, Master," Hex nodded, grinning as he held up his hands, magic beginning to flow around him.

"No...no...no!" Hsi Wu shouted, suddenly thrown against the wall, magical restraints keeping him pinned and unable to move. Hex stepped forward, pulling out a dagger from his sleeve, smiling still.

"And with the blood of the student, we shall release their master..." he muttered softly, bringing the dagger upwards, staring straight at a demon scared stiff before him...

* * *

><p>"Okay, we're here...are you good?" Scott asked, staring at the Chaos Theatre from the outside, frowning at it, "Man, this place really tanked..."<p>

"Well, you did kill it's owner..." Ramona noted, "And no, I'm not good...I want to head inside."

Scott frowned, nodding as Ramona made to force the door open, pausing as she found it already unlocked, and the padlock also open and undone.

"That's odd..." she frowned, but shrugged, stepping inside anyways, turning to look towards her boyfriend, "Well are you coming?"

Scott sighed, then nodded his head, slowly following Ramona inside. He didn't really want to be here, but he was trying hard to be a better person. And a better person wouldn't let their girlfriend wander in an abandoned building alone.

At least he was pretty sure they wouldn't.

Ramona sighed, looking around the large floor, stopping to look at a large pyramid near the center. Once their had been a chair there, reserved for Gideon, but it was gone now.

"...Someone else is here..." Ramona said suddenly, looking around. She spoke in a whisper, turning to Scott and putting a finger to her lips, indicating he needed to be quiet.

Scott paused and scratched his head, looking confused. Ramona frowned then pointed to the floor. Scott looked down, seeing a lot of dust. He looked back up and shrugged.

Ramona slapped her forehead, then took a few steps forward carefully. She then leaned down, pointing at a particular spot. Scott leaned forward, trying to see something. Another moment went by, and Ramona pulled out a small flashlight, flicking it on and turning it to the floor.

Scott now saw what Ramona was talking about. Footprints in the dust, new ones at that. Ramona moved her light along the path, frowning. She could make out two sets, walking around the place, before heading to the bathroom.

"Maybe it's just some stupid kids?" Scott asked, his voice echoing across the large, cavernous room. Ramona frowned, glaring at him now, then pointed to the bathroom.

"...Do you want me to check it out?" Scott asked next, looking nervous, "Why?"

"...You're not scared, are you?" Ramona asked, speaking much quieter then Scott, "You once headbutted a guy so hard he exploded."

"But they might be drugged out psychopaths with knives," Scott muttered, looking a bit pale.

"You punched a guy 64 times in the air and slammed him into the ground," Ramona said flatly, "Drugged up psychopaths with a knife don't have anything on you..."

"Well you could check it out..." Scott countered, frowning now, staring back at his girlfriend.

"I can't..." Ramona muttered, blushing slightly and looking off to the side.

"Why not?" Scott asked, stepping forward now.

"...It's a guy's restroom..." Ramona answered, a bit redder now.

Scott missed a step, falling forward and hitting the ground hard, echoing the sound across the old club.

"...Fine, I'll go check it out..." Scott muttered, getting up. He dusted off his shirt, then headed for the old bathroom, wondering just who he'd find in there.

* * *

><p>Harry frowned, casting various spells in the bathroom, not finding anything.<p>

"Doesn't look like there's any leads here...I guess we should check the other bathroom, then head for the offices," Harry said, turning to the American who was checking a dryer.

"Sounds good," he nodded, turning to leave when they heard someone outside.

"Maybe it's just some stupid kids?"

Harry and the American glanced towards each other, frowning. Someone else was here. They paused, listening as best they could. There was that loud voice, and then a softer one. As far as they could tell, they didn't seem like a threat, provided neither of them tried anything, but still...

Harry stuffed his wand into the pocket of his jeans after stopping his Lumos spell, the two of them standing in the darkness and trying to adjust to the difference of light, simply hearing someone's footsteps get nearer...

* * *

><p>Blood dripped down the knife, Hex stepping back before throwing the knife into a symbol on the wall, it's red stains starting to glow softly.<p>

"You know that's going to cost quite a bit to clean," The Master said, returning to Hex, looking down at the prone body of Hsi Wu. He poked him with his shoe, getting no response.

"Bill me," Hex said, focusing still on the spell, "I'm getting you what you want, after all."

"Oh, I know," The Master grinned, "Besides, I was joking. Really should learn to lighten up a bit, you know."

The magic flowed forward, The Master taking a step back as he watched it work.

A portal began to appear, swirling with an impossible black light.

A green arm shout out, grabbing the edge of the portal, pulling the figure forward. There were pink patches in various ovals on his arms. His nails were sharp, and as he stepped forward, he revealed more of his figure.

He had pointy green ears, antenna sticking out of his head. His face was wrinkled, looking worn from age. He wore a blue outfit with a purple sash around his waist, a cape covering his back, and a symbol for the word 'demon' written on his outfit, prominently displayed on his chest.

"Greetings, Demon King Piccolo," The Master said as the figure stepped fully through the portal. It closed behind him, and the green skinned being frowned, looking down at the fallen form of Hsi Wu, frowning slightly, then back to The Master and Hex.

"Hsi Wu...a former student of mine...and you killed him, to bring me forth?" Piccolo asked after a moment, eying the two.

"Of course," The Master said cheerfully, "He didn't have any other use."

There was a pause, and Piccolo opened his mouth, laughing loudly, his voice booming across the dark room. "Ohhhhh...yes, I must agree with you there...Who are you, being? I can sense you are not human..."

"I'm The Master," the blond haired man answered, nodding his head, "I'm a Time Lord, though I'm not sure if you know what those are."

Piccolo paused, rubbing his chin, "Yes and no...I have...heard of a man named The Doctor. Heard he claimed he was a Time Lord, but I never met him."

"Ahhhh, The Doctor, an enemy of mine," The Master said, looking almost regretful, "I'm sure you have much to catch up on."

"What year is it?" Piccolo asked suddenly, staring at the Time Lord.

"It's 2006," The Master answered, "Still, much has changed..."

"Not that long from when I was last banished...those who did so could very easily still be alive..." Piccolo said, then floated into the air, "I must have my revenge!"

The Master was quiet, watching as King Piccolo looked up, holding his hand upwards. Energy began to collect within it, then he fired, creating a large hole, flying upwards. He blew more holes, steadily climbing upwards...

"...I believe it's time we abandon this base," The Master commented to Hex, clapping his hands together, "Go do that."

Hex just nodded, frowning as he looked up at the destruction King Piccolo had caused. He wondered if perhaps Slade had been right in their unleashing of this creature.

* * *

><p>Scott opened the door to the bathroom, peering in the gloom. He didn't see anyone.<p>

"It's empty!" Scott yelled back to Ramona, only to be greeted by a flashlight hitting him in the face.

"Actually check it! Look in the stalls!" Ramona yelled, growing exasperated with her boyfriend. Scott whimpered and picked up the flashlight, turning it on as he stepped into the bathroom, flashing the light across the area.

More graffiti, obscenities written everywhere, various numbers saying you could get a good time by calling them.

He paused at the stalls, gulping as he made his way towards them. He opened one at random, flashing the light, pausing as he saw a man standing on the toilet, looking nervous.

"...Who are you?" the man asked, with an American accent of some kind.

"...I'm Scott Pilgrim," Scott answered automatically, before realizing it was probably a stupid thing to tell this strange man his name.

He was about to add something when he felt something sharp stick him in the back of the head.

"What are you doing?" the American whispered, looking at someone behind Scott's shoulder.

"I'm just going to do a simple memory charm. He'll go back out and tell the girl no one's here, and they'll leave, and we won't have to explain anything," Harry explained.

"Hey, my memory's been messed around with enough by other people, thank you very much," Scott spoke up, "And wait, you can do magic?"

A sudden gasp, Scott's eyes growing larger.

"Are you a wizard?"

Before Harry or the American could say anything, the ground began to shake, sending the three toppling to the ground.

Scott pushed himself up, scrambling for the door.

"Petrificus Totalus," Harry said, pointing his wand at Scott from the floor. Scott instantly locked up, falling flat on his face, muttering curses.

"Sorry about that..." Harry muttered, preparing to wipe Scott's mind of recent events, when he heard a girl yelling.

"What the _fuck _are you are and what do you want?"

Harry and the American paused, heading towards the door. Harry opened it slightly, peering out. He gasped, seeing a green being floating in the air, staring down at a blue haired girl who had produced what looked like a sledgehammer from somewhere.

"...I am the great and mighty Demon King Piccolo," the being said, frowning, "You are but a lowly human. You should show respect to those better then you...and especially to your ender..."

The being held out his hand, energy glowing in it.

Harry bit back a curse, opening the door and running forward, waving his wand as a yellow ball of energy fired from Piccolo.

"Protego!" Harry yelled, casting a magical shield over Ramona, the energy ball being deflected to the side. This caused both Ramona and Piccolo to pause, turning to see Harry.

"Hmmm...a human...you use magic..." Piccolo said, "Admittedly a kind I'm not very familiar with...I should kill you first."

Piccolo landed on the ground, then suddenly charged forward, faster then Harry could see.

"Look out!"

The American pushed Harry to the side, only to find King Piccolo's fist hit his stomach, going through him before pulling back out.

Piccolo sighed, looking down at the rapidly dying body, then returned his attention back to Harry, cracking his knuckles.

"I guess he was eager to die..." the Demon King sighed, licking some blood off of his hand, "Mmmm, not bad, if I say so myself."

Harry brought his wand up, anger in his eyes.

"REDUCTO!"

The spell blasted from his wand, hitting Piccolo by surprise and sending him flying backwards. The green being growled, stopping himself before he hit a wall, staring at the wizard.

"Not bad, for a human," Piccolo conceded, "But still nothing compared to my might..."

"Hey, don't forget about me!"

Piccolo froze, looking up as Scott Pilgrim appeared from the air, bringing his fists down on the demon's head, slamming him into the ground.

"Yah, take that!" Scott yelled, "I'm the best fighter in Canada!"

Piccolo picked himself up, glaring at Scott. "Then I will be sure destroying Canada is on my to-do list..."

"...How did he..." Harry muttered, staring at Scott, not sure how he had gotten free of his binding spell, or how he had managed to attack Piccolo like that.

"When dealing with Scott, be prepared for surprises," Ramona said, walking over so she was next to Harry, "Name's Ramona, thanks for the save back there. I don't know what you're doing here, but why don't we take care of this thing first and then talk?"

"...Sounds like a plan," Harry nodded, "And my name is Harry."

Ramona nodded back, turning her attention back to Scott and Piccolo.

Piccolo was throwing a series of fast punches, Scott managing to block or dodge them, though he was being forced back, unable to manage a counter attack.

"Cover me!" Ramona yelled, charging forward with her sledgehammer held high. King Piccolo disengaged from Scott, catching the sledgehammer's head as Ramona brought it down. He grunted, forcing it backwards. Ramona simply let it go and had the sledgehammer fly backwards, jumping forward and flipping up, kicking Piccolo in the chin.

Piccolo cursed, stumbling back as he grabbed his chin.

"Too slow!" Scott yelled, dashing forward and throwing a series of punches into Piccolo's chest, knocking the demon down.

Piccolo growled, cracking his neck and staring at the three combatants.

"It seems you humans are a little tougher then I remember...or perhaps it's simply my age..." Piccolo sighed, then held up his hands, "Either way, I don't have time for this...I have revenge to enact."

Before either of the three could react, yellow orbs of energy began to glow in his hands, the green demon grinning.

"Goodbye, puny mortals!" King Piccolo laughed, firing the balls of energy.

The last thing the three remembered was a large explosion, losing consciousness as the Chaos Theatre began to topple around them...

* * *

><p>"What do you think happened, Tony?" a teenager in a silver colored armor asked, floating over the wreckage of the Chaos Theatre.<p>

"Might have a gas leak..." Iron Man answered, his red and yellow suit scanning the destruction, "A really, really big one..."

Fire trucks were out on the street, working to contain the fire that was beginning to spread.

"Well, we should help out these people," War Machine said, indicating the fire fighters.

"Right...wait a minute, Rhodey..." Iron Man said, holding up his hand, "I'm detecting some life signs in that wreckage...three of them...they're trapped, come on!"

He flew downwards, his friend accompanying him, digging into the wreckage...

* * *

><p>Across the country in a city known as San Francisco sat two old men, talking about various things, discussing their shared past.<p>

"Roshi called me the other day," an old Chinese man said, "Said he was in the States, wanted to visit. Told him you were here too, should come."

"Sounds like fun," an old American said, wearing a red Hawaiian shirt, "That would be almost all of us...except...well..."

He trailed off, frowning. The Chinese man sighed as well, putting down his tea.

"Roshi also said he had a new pupil. Some odd boy named Goku..." the Chinese man added, "He's suppose to be about Jade and Ben's age..."

"Well that's good. I'm sure they'll all get along," the American man then smiled.

Neither of them knew that a figure from their past was looking for them...

* * *

><p>A.N. If you're wondering who those two old people are at the end, read <em>Ten vs Twelve<em> which will deal with King Piccolo's origins and his defeat(?) in this universe of mine.

Hopefully I'll update that story after I get some sleep, along with _Gunless on Gunsmoke_.


	5. The Ray Sphere Blast

A.N. Now with _Honor Among Rogues_ finished, I can get all my attention back to this story! In this chapter the Ray Sphere Blast has gone off, and now we'll the heroes slowly begin to form together...

How will they all team up and form a team? Keep reading this chapter and later ones to find out!

* * *

><p>"New York City has been put under a strict quarantine. S.H.I.E.L.D. has set up a defensive perimeter around the city, after an explosion took out several city blocks and left thousands dead in it's wake. Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., could not be reached for a comment at this time, but Superman of the Justice League has stated that they plan to do everything they can to help, but even they have not gotten permission to enter the city," the reporter said, their professionalism cracking slightly from the tragedy that had occurred.<p>

"No group has stepped forward to take credit for the attack, and we are still waiting for more information. From what we do know is that crime is running rampant in the streets, and the heroes of New York City locked inside the quarantine are scrambling to try and bring some kind of order to the city in chaos...To those heroes, we wish them the best of luck..."

_Four Hours Earlier_

Cole breathed deeply, putting the package into the compartment on his motorcycle, revving the engine, listening to the cycle purr.

The past few days had been strange, but then again New York City was the city where anything could happen. He had been saved by some thugs by a large, talking turtle with swords, along with a kid in blue armor. When he told his best friend Zeke about it, his friend just laughed and asked him how many beers he had.

Cole shrugged off the thought. He was getting paid a lot to deliver this package, and it wouldn't do to have it late. He revved the engine once more, then started off, moving through the street, shooting through a yellow light. These streets were familiar to him, he had been down them so many times.

Cole came to a stop at the address, taking the package with him as he walked to the door, knocking on it. After a couple moments, his phone rang.

"...Hello?" Cole asked, looking around.

"Hello Cole. I believe you have my package?" the voice on the other end said.

"This..." Cole paused, checking the name on the package, "Kessler? Look, I'm at the address. It's not my fault if you're not here."

"Of course not. But could you do me a favor? Could you open it for me?" Kessler asked, "I'll be there soon...but I'm an old man, so hard to deal with these packages nowadays."

"I'm really not suppose to, sir," Cole answered, sighing a little as he looked over the package again. It was marked delicate, but Cole had no idea what it was.

"There will be an extra hundred dollars for you, of course," Kessler said. Cole whistled softly. That was a good chunk of cash for him. He could take Trish out somewhere with that...

"Alright then," Cole said, pulling out a pocket knife and carefully opening the package up. Inside, wrapped in some bubble wrap, was a strange metallic orb. Curious, Cole removed it, staring at it.

It almost looked like...

"_Oh shit."_ Cole thought, just before the Ray Sphere activated, glowing softly, and a wave of energy burst from it, knocking him out...

* * *

><p><em>One Week Later<em>

Cole awoke not with a start, but slowly, eyes opening gently as the light above him was blinding for a moment, before they adjusted. He heard beeping by him, felt something stuck in his arm. He groaned, pushing himself upwards slightly, sitting up as he stared slowly around the room.

It was a hospital room, and Cole turned his gaze towards the figure in the room, who was sitting in a chair, reading...a history book, of all things.

The man was tall, short trimmed blond hair, blue eyes, and he wore a black t-shirt and jeans. He was in good shape, and looked up when he noticed Cole moving, giving the courier a reassuring smile.

"Ahhh...You're up. How are you feeling. McGrath?" the man asked, "I'm Captain Rogers. Steve Rogers."

Cole frowned, his head spinning, rubbing his head, "Ugh...Where...what..."

"Hospital," Rogers answered, "As for what, I was hoping you could tell me. You were at ground zero of the explosion, pretty badly battered, but not dead. Unfortunately, a lot of people are, and they want answers."

Cole focused, taking a few deep breaths, trying to remember. "I was...delivering a package...Guy paid a lot, specifically asked for me to deliver it. I...brought it to the address. Customer called. Told me to open it. Said there would be some extra money. I opened it... And then...just this blinding flash of light."

Rogers nodded, but didn't let on whether or not he believed Cole or not, "Your story mostly checks out with what I've managed to get from your employer. The customer was a man who called himself Kessler, correct?"

"Yah..." Cole nodded, then frowned, looking puzzled, "Captain Steve Rogers?"

"Yes?" Rogers asked.

"...Is that your real name or is there a reason you're calling yourself Captain America?" Cole asked, frowning as he looked back to the history book, now closed, on Rogers' lap.

Rogers actually laughed, "It's my real name, believe me. It's a long story, but for now you should get some rest. I'll be back along later to check on you. And oh...you might want to avoid the news."

Rogers picked up a large black pack by the bed that Cole hadn't been able to see from his angle, slinging it over his shoulder and heading for the door, when he froze, gunshots, outside in the hallway...screaming.

Steve Rogers opened the door without hesitation, barreling out into the hallway, giving pause at two young men in red hoods, faces obscured by them, both wielding a couple handguns.

"Hands up! We're here to waste McGrath!" one of the hooded men said, waving his gun at Rogers.

Cole froze in his bed, forcing himself up now, taking out the IVs, pulling off the sensors around him. He felt a wave of dizzyness, and he put his hand against one of the machines to catch his breath.

Something sparked, and electricity leaped from the machine, draining into Cole's body, the machine going dark, Cole finding himself feeling better, against all odds, as he stood up now, breathing shallowly still. He was wearing a hospital gown, and he looked around, finding some clothes of his, folded up and placed on a nearby chair.

A guilty stab, a note on the clothes. Trish. Telling him to get better soon. She and Zeke missed him. How long had he been out?

He heard gunshots, then screams, something striking off something else metal, and the terrible clash of metal ramming into a face.

Cole dressed as quickly as he could, turning as he struggled his jacket on, Rogers walking back in, zipping up the black bag he had been carrying.

"We need to get out of here. Someone's after you," Rogers said, "I shouldn't tell you this, but right now I'm working for S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't think you're responsible for all this, but whatever's happened, you're the key to it all. So I ask...do you trust me?"

"...I want to see Trish, and Zeke..." Cole said, zipping his jacket on, then slung his bag on. They remembered his trusty bag too...

"We can, but not right now," Rogers said, "You have...a portable phone, right? They should still work."

"A cell phone?" Cole asked, frowning at the odd choice of words, then checked the front pocket on his strap, "Yah, I do..."

"You can call them once we get to my base. You might have some questions. Come on!" Rogers then said, turning and heading into the hallway. Cole paused a moment, then followed.

The two men in red hoods were knocked out, a determined looking orderly holding on their guns now, pointed at them and ready to shoot if they made a move. There were bullet holes in a few of the walls, and another orderly was patiently tending to a graze in their own arm.

"You've been out for a week. A lot has happened," Rogers said, ignoring the elevator and heading down the stairwell. Cole continued to follow, and after a few floors they came to the lobby. Rogers strode for the doors, Cole pausing as he looked around.

People everywhere. They looked hungry, tired, sick. Everything seemed somewhat subdued, no one paid much attention to him or Rogers.

Cole then moved forward, force to pause again as Rogers stopped near one family, and produced a chocolate bar of all things, telling the kid of them to share with the others. The kid nodded, and diligently broke off some pieces for a few of the other nearby children.

They then stepped outside, and Cole froze, looking around. The streets were dirty, more so then usual. People were moving in huddled groups, and very few cars were moving, most of them parked haphazardly here and there at the side of the street. One was even fully on the sidewalk, people moving around it.

Slowly his eyes started looking upwards. The buildings were much the same, though graffiti was even more prevalent. And then the sky...It was a dark red color, and Cole could just make out some kind of device hovering in the air, creating a huge dome that seemed to cover the entire city.

"What is that...?" Cole wondered, Steve moving to a motorcycle by the hospital entrance, attaching his large black pack to the side, before turning to look at Cole.

"That's what keeping the quarantine in. Can't get in or out, though they open it partially to bring in occasional supplies," Rogers answered, "Get on. We'll be at my base soon."

Cole nodded, getting on the motorcycle behind Rogers, and they sped off, hurrying down the street...

* * *

><p>Leonardo looked up at the dark red sky, frowning for a moment before his attention returned to the streets. It had been a week since that terrible explosion rocked the surface, and they were in need of supplies. Casey and April had temporarily move to their home now as well, probably one of the safest places in New York City, along with the new additions of the young Rock and Roll Light, though Rock was currently on the rooftop with him, also looking at the red sky.<p>

Michelangelo was out in the city somewhere as well, using his super hero identity Turtle Titan and teaming up with Spider-Man, helping to keep part of New York City under control, working with Captain Stacey of the N.Y.P.D. as much as they could.

The explosion had knocked out power for three days before it was, partially, restored. In those three days the villains at Ryker's and the Vault had managed to pull an escape. Whole swathes of the city were still without power, and several super villains had simply taken over parts of the city.

Raphael and Casey were undoubtedly down somewhere in the streets as well, knocking some heads together and helping as well, and Donatello would be working on anything that might be helpful back at the Lair, or even a way to get out of the city, if worse came to worse...

But today, Leo and Rock were looking for food.

"There's suppose to be a supply drop not too far from here," Rock said, "I could try and get some in the crowd..."

After all, Rock was not a giant mutated turtle.

"Maybe..." Leo said, "We'll see what it looks like. They haven't been dropping off much as it is..."

Rock nodded, then focused, his blue armor forming around him, turning him into Mega Man. He then followed Leo across the rooftops, following him as they moved from shadow to shadow.

They finally came to a stop, overlooking a larger open area, with some large statue in the middle, a fountain, off, around it. There were people milling about, and looking up they saw the crate of supplies, stuck on one of the statue's facets.

"I think I could shoot it down..." Mega Man volunteered, holding up his right hand, forming a small cannon, aiming it towards the lines that were stuck in the statue. Data flowed across his screen, almost impossibly fast, but he found it easy to understand, taking careful aim.

"Do it," Leo nodded. Mega Man aimed, and a single shot went out, hitting the rope that was tangled in the statue. There was a creaking noise, and the box tumbled downwards, before hitting the ground and spilling out it's contents. Military MREs. Not the tastiest, but they would last for a while, and had the calories needed for those living in the city in terror.

The crowd surged towards the food, and both Leonardo and Rock sighed, knowing that unless they threatened these innocents, none of that food would be for them.

Rapid fire gunshots, screaming, and the two heroes turned towards the noise.

Seven figures in red hoods emerged from the alleyway across the square, one of them holding an automatic rifle, laughing as he shot towards the crowd, which was now disbursing and fleeing for their lives.

"That's right, you better run!" the man laughed, "This food is property of the Reapers!"

Leonardo jumped to another roof top, taking Mega Man by surprise, then followed the ninja turtle as they moved around, before Leo dropped down into the alleyway, pulling one of his swords out as he got to the ground.

Mega Man landed next to him, frowning slightly, bringing his cannon back, and nodded to Leo.

"You should stay back. I can handle this," Leonardo said to Rock, "This was just suppose to be reconnaissance and supply gathering. Not a fight."

"There's seven of them. You're outnumbered," Mega Man answered, shaking his head, "I'm going to help you."

Leo sighed, then nodded, knowing that whatever he said wouldn't stop him. Besides, he could use the help.

"I'll start," Mega Man said, then rushed forward suddenly, startling the Reapers.

"I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else!" Mega Man shouted, pointing his cannon at the Reapers, "So put your guns down!"

"Hah, looks like some little kid playing dress up!" one of the Reapers laughed, "Scoot home kid, before we decide to use you for target practice!"

"Why give him the chance?" another asked, then leveled his own gun at Mega Man. Rock held up his arms to defend himself as the Reaper fired, the bullets, bouncing off his armor.

After a couple seconds of fire, the Reaper stopped, mouth agape beneath his hood. Mega Man held up his right hand, a cannon forming in it.

"My turn..." Mega Man said, then fired, shooting a blast of energy at the Reaper who shot at him, knocking him backwards, where he crumpled on the ground, moaning in pain.

Before the other Reapers could react, Leonardo was behind them, the hilt of his sword hitting the back of another, knocking him out. The leader turned with his automatic rifle, only to find it slashed by Leo's sword, then kicked backwards.

Mega Man charged, firing at the other Reapers, and the two quickly dispatched the group, surprise having been the key factor in their victory.

"Impressive...Perhaps you would like to join us? We could always use such capable...figures, such as yourself..."

Leonardo and Rock paused, turning as a tall gaunt figure, wearing a white, hooded trench coat appeared, looking down at the two.

"No way would I join you guys," Mega Man scowled.

"You lack honor," Leonardo said, "Attacking innocents...I could never join such a group."

"Very well then..." the white coated figure shrugged, then screeched loudly. Energy burst from the man, being sent forward at Leo and Rock, knocking them backwards.

Leonardo recovered first, getting up and drawing both of his blades now, racing forward at the Reaper Conduit.

The Reaper screeched again, disappearing and reappearing at the side, before hissing loudly and producing his own gun, firing at Leonardo.

Leo's swords moved in a blur, blocking some fire as he ducked behind an abandoned car.

Mega Man got up, glaring at the Conduit, then fired at him, going for quantity over quality, trying to overwhelm the Reaper. The Reaper was hit, but kept going, then sent another blast of energy at Mega Man, who threw his arms in front of him, taking the brunt of the attack.

_Mega Man Armor losing stability_

Mega Man frowned, trying to figure out what to do, as the Reaper turned it's attention towards where Leo was, sending a blast of energy hurtling towards the car. Leonardo jumped up, using the car as a springboard before it was blasted backwards, leaping into the air and coming down towards the Reaper, slashing.

The Reaper was hit, stumbling backwards, but teleported to the side before Leonardo could get another hit in, turning around as he blasted with another wave of energy from the Reaper.

_Copying Battle Data_

Mega Man's eyes widened, his visor seeming to explode with data as he focused on the Reaper. His armor's color shifted, turning into an off white color with red highlights, and Mega Man suddenly knew new things he could do...

"Leo, get out of the way!" Rock yelled, running forward. He focused, teleporting quickly in front of the Reaper, taking the Conduit by surprise. Mega Man slammed his right hand downwards, sending out a blast of energy similar to the Reaper's, sending him flying backwards.

Leo then leaped over Mega Man, swords gleaming in the red light of the sky, and slashed again.

The Reaper cried out, stumbling backwards, then fell over, breathing shallowly.

Leo sheathed his swords, turning to look towards Mega Man, who changed back into his regular blue armor.

"That was useful..." Leo said, "How did you do that? You did something similar back when we were trying to rescue your father..."

"I don't know..." Rock sighed, shaking his head, "I just...did. I saw that guy doing those things, and something sort of clicked, and I realized my armor could make me do it too."

He glanced towards the supplies of food, then towards Leo.

"We should grab some before everyone gets back," Rock said, and Leo nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Harry frowned, overlooking the city himself, perched atop his Firebolt. At least he had it with him in the city. And it was remarkable how few people looked up, especially now, with the red light above them. It was a reminder of what life had become for those in the city.<p>

He had awoken in a Muggle hospital before the incident. It had taken some work, but he had managed to regain his wand and charm a few doctors and nurses and managed to get out without much further delay. Harry had headed back to the hotel he had been staying at temporarily to get his trunk, when the explosion hit New York City. Unable to simply leave while people needed help, he had stayed in America...Too long now, as the the ship had come over the city, and sealed them off, claiming the possibility of a biological terrorist attack.

And now he was cut off from the rest of the world. He couldn't even Apparate outside the city. Whatever the shield was around them, it stopped both technological and magical means of penetration. Perhaps Hermione might have known a spell that could get through, but Harry did not.

Instead of being home with his family, his mission, which had turned out to be a waste of time, had landed him in the middle of a fight for survival. Gangs and super villains roamed the streets, and Harry had no contacts he could rely on here.

With a sigh Harry headed downwards, coming to a stop on top of a rooftop. He flicked his wand at the door to a small shed there, opening the door and stashing his Firebolt in it for now, before locking it up again as he focused.

A twisting, tight sensation, and he gasped as he appeared down in the alleyway. He never was very fond of Apparating and Disapparating, preferring to travel by broom whenever possible, but it proved useful.

He passed by a homeless man, feeling a twinge of pity. There wasn't anything he could do to help even that one person right now, but he turned unto the street now, where other people were walking.

There was one thing he liked about being this far from home. No one recognized him. He was just another face in the crowd here in America. The magical communities of Britain and America had always be cordial to the other, but both widely regarded the other as though nothing the other did would affect them.

Britain's magical community was quite influential throughout most of the rest of the world, due in large part to the international Clockwork organization having been based in London, until they pulled out when Voldemort first started coming to power. Clockwork still maintained a strong organization in Britain, but their base of operations was rumored to constantly be in flux.

Another difference was how the government dealt with magic. In Britain the Ministry of Magic would occasionally work with the Muggle government, and at least was nominally loyal to them. Here in America there didn't seem to be any central magical organization. Harry had come here because one such organization, who seemed to use magic and technology in tandem, a group calling themselves The First Sons, had believed there may be still living Voldemort supporters, and wanted an expert advice.

Harry had managed to learn a bit though. Something about a Section Thirteen, based out of San Francisco, was rumored to be converting to the first American organization devoted to investigating and containing magical incidents. He'd pass that information as well unto the Ministry and let someone else deal with all the bureaucracy with linking to them.

It didn't help that The First Sons had gone suspiciously quiet after the explosion in New York City. It all looked bad, and as an Auror he felt he had the responsibility to investigate what was happening. Besides, he couldn't leave the city yet anyways.

So Harry was heading towards where he had first met The First Sons, trying to pick up the trail. Which is why he was taken by surprise when the crowd suddenly surged, almost knocking him down as he heard an explosion farther ahead.

He pushed through the crowd, struggling to get through, only stopping once he broke free, staring ahead of him. In front of him was a man. It had to be, but he was covered in metal, junk it almost looked like, crafted into a sort of crude armor. There was a hunch on his back, and from it a metal creature emerged, dropping to the ground and skittering around. It almost appeared spider-like, and the creature seemed to pause, looking for something.

The man though had a rocket launcher resting over one of his shoulders, having reloaded after his earlier attack, a bandolier of more rockets on his chest.

As he watched the metallic hunch on the man's back produced three more metal spiders, which skittered around. Everyone was running, as the metal man fired a rocket, whizzing through the air and slamming into a parked car with a horrendous explosion, sending flames and metal raining downwards.

Harry felt for the wand in his jacket, but paused. There were too many witnesses, even though they were running. He couldn't just use magic where everyone could see him, but he couldn't just let this mad man continue to cause damage and possibly kill civilians.

He took a deep breath, then pulled out his wand and stepped forward. Rules be damned, he would stop this guy.

There was a blur, and suddenly the metal man was hit hard by a figure having rushed from the other side, slamming a fist into the man.

Scott Pilgrim grinned, fist held up triumphantly as the metal man was knocked backwards. There was a pause, and he grimaced, shaking his head and wincing.

"Ow, ow, ow, that _hurt_," Scott whined, shaking his hand now.

"Maybe you should have used your sword then," a second figure said, running towards Scott, wielding a large mallet over her shoulders with apparently effortless ease.

Scott grinned at Ramona, "Hey, that's for bosses! I can't just pull out my best weapon against mooks like this."

"Uh huh..." Ramona said, then stopped as she noticed Harry, separate from the crowd. "Hey...it's that guy..."

Before Scott could ask who, the metal man was back up, roaring in defiance. The robot spiders skittered, then the four of them raced towards Scott and Ramona.

"Ohhh, mini mooks!" Scott said. He rushed forwards, taking on two of them, jumping up and slamming down on one, crunching it and turning it into a pile of spare parts. The other launched itself at him, and Scott's arm blurred, busting through the creature, letting it fall apart around his arm.

Ramona stood still as the spiders came at her, only moving at the last moment with a speed that was surprising for her choice of weapon. It came slamming downwards, catching one in it's arc as it jumped, turning it even more wrecked then the one Scott had smashed. She then tilted, sailing upwards, using the mallet as a pole vault, somersaulting upwards and over, coming downwards on the final spider, smashing it.

The metal man roared in defiance, bringing his rocket launcher to bare, aiming towards Scott and Ramona, his finger twitching.

"No!" Harry yelled, bringing his wand up, "Expelliarmus!"

His wand flashed with red light, shooting forwards at the metal man as he fired his rocket. The spell hit in time knocking the rocket launcher upwards, the rocket firing upwards now, surprising the metal man as he dropped it.

There was a brief moment of silence, as Harry, Scott, and Ramona could only stand and watch as the rocket stopped it's upwards descent, then started falling down. The metal man just stood there, more metal spiders now crawling out from his back.

The rocket fell, and the metal man looked up at the last instant. They couldn't know what he thought, as the rocket hit the ground by the man and exploded, throwing him backwards, taking out the metal spiders around him as well.

Metal rained down, and Harry swallowed, looking towards Scott and Ramona. Those two, from before...when that demon had awoken. Harry hadn't been able to learn anything more about that, and had made a note to talk to Hermione about it when he returned home. If anyone knew how to deal with that, or even what it was, it would be Hermione. Or she would know someone who would.

"Hey, thanks wizard guy!" Scott grinned, patting Harry on the back with a grin, "We owe you one!"

Ramona sighed, rolling her eyes and walking towards Harry and Scott, "Maybe we should talk somewhere more quiet, and not in the middle of a battle zone?"

Harry paused, then nodded. Protocol was that he was suppose to erase the memory of these two, but...well, this wasn't something that protocol normally dealt with.

"Alright," Harry said, "Do you have a place?"

Ramona nodded back, then placed some goggles that had been on her forehead over her eyes. She looked around, then went to a door, one Harry was positive hadn't been in that wall earlier.

"We'll go through here," Ramona answered, and disappeared through the door. Scott grinned, following after his girlfriend. Harry paused for a moment, then followed after them as well.

* * *

><p>Tony Stark flew over the city, constantly scanning the environment. The blast had happened here, in this part of the city. He was headed for ground zero of the blast, and soon would be there.<p>

"Tony, are you sure this is a good idea?" Pepper asked, her voice in his ear, back at the armory. "It could be really dangerous..."

"I know Pepper, but I might be able to find something the authorities missed. Right now my suit's the highest tech available here in New York City," Tony answered, coming to a stop over the blast zone. He went quiet, as did Pepper, staring at the image over her own screen.

"Damn..." Tony cursed, lowering himself down, "Computer, find me the center point."

A moment, and part of the ground glowed, and Tony flew down towards it, "Give me the best analysis of this area as you can. I want to know everything. Pepper, how are things on your end?"

"Huh? Oh, uhhh, one second..." Pepper said, clearly shook up from the images she was seeing, "Well, your computer has been unable to figure out that force field around the city. From what reports I've been able to find, it's apparently made by some company based here in New York City, and the government bought it for emergency containment purposes. No one can get in or out without a lot of authority. They'll send messages sometimes, and ummm..."

Pepper trailed off, "I got one from my dad. He was off on a mission out of town when this happened. It was meant for his superiors here, but I think he knew I'd get at it too. It's a code, an old one he used with me when I was little. It's just...he told me to stay safe..."

"There's no safer place then the armory right now, Pepper," Tony said reassuringly, "How's Rhodey doing?"

"Still dealing with crowd control and the like," Pepper answered, "Way off on the other side of the island... it's pretty bad Tony, people are starting to riot. I know some heroes have been trying to handle things too, keeping looting and all that down to a minimal, but there's just not enough..."

"I know Pepper..." Tony sighed, "What about news?"

Pepper gave a derisive snort, "The only two news organizations here giving any news is the Daily Bugle and the Daily Planet here. Bugle less so, it keeps trying to blame Spider-Man for all this, but no one's buying it."

Tony just nodded vaguely, as his computer finished it's analysis. He looked over the data, frowning.

"According to what my computer is saying, the energy that was unleashed here should have done a lot more damage then what it did. It was focused...inwards. Not many survivors in the immediate area..." Tony said, mostly to himself, and was surprised when Pepper answered him.

"Just one survivor in the blast zone, actually," Pepper said, then typed at a keyboard, frowning, "Let's see...One...Cole McGrath!"

"Who is he?" Tony wondered, "Anyone important?"

"Errr...no. He was a bike courier, it seems. Delivered packages around the city. Let me see..." Quiet, and Pepper was typing rapidly, "Ahah! I got his delivery manifesto from his company here, for the week leading up to the blast. Looks pretty normal, except..."

"Except what?" Tony asked.

"Well...About two days before the blast, he delivered a package from a Dr. Light. From Stark Industries..." Pepper said, "Delivered to...Light's home. Rush order."

"Light?" Tony said, taking a moment to remember the face, "I remember him. He was a good guy, my dad hired him from Sumdac back in Chicago about ten years ago. Heck, he gave me the initial idea for my armor. He wanted to make a protective, adaptive armor for people, to assist in things like deep sea exploration, space, construction, rescue efforts, things like that. Dad loved the idea, but he couldn't get it to work. Also really liked robotics. Dad set up some work between our company and Sumdac too."

"You don't think he..." Pepper began, before getting cut off from Tony.

"No, I highly doubt Light had anything to do with this, but we should investigate later anyways. I doubt Light has any love for Stane, so it might be something we can help Light with later," Tony answered, "Now we just...wait, someone's coming."

Tony's alarm alerted him to a noise, turning as he saw a figure scrambling up some ruins, before sliding down. It was a girl, wearing a green shirt and camoflouge pants. In her hands was what looked like a small, hand held flashlight, and she had a belt with various pouches around her.

"It's...Jenny," Tony said, remembering the face. That girl from the ship. Tony had almost forgotten about her, with current events taking up all his time nowadays.

"That girl you found with Rhodey, Spider-Man, and that Turtle Titan guy?" Pepper asked, "What is she doing here?"

"I don't know, but she's an enigma herself," Tony said. _"Two heartbeats, for one. She looks human...but..."_

Aliens existed, Tony knew this. Superman of the Justice League claimed to be from Krypton. There was a hero on the west coast, Starfire, part of the Teen Titans, who was an alien. They weren't completely unheard of, and both those two, especially Superman, looked very human themselves.

"What are you doing here?" Tony called out, heading towards Jenny, who had spotted him and grinned, running towards the iron suited teenager.

"Same thing you're doing here. Meddling!" Jenny answered, waving the flashlight around idly, "I thought I could find some clues as to what happened here."

She paused a little, frowning for a moment as she looked upwards at the red shield over the city. "And this seems like something my father would be looking for as well. I hope I can find him while investigating this."

Tony nodded, "Alright then. You haven't given me any reason to distrust you. But what can you do here?"

Jenny then smiled, holding up the flashlight in her hand, "I have this. Picked it up at a planet before I managed to find Earth. Not the same as my dad's Screwdriver, but it'll do."

Tony focused on the flashlight, and his armor beeped in alarm. Whatever that was, it wasn't a simple flashlight. It seemed to use sonic technology, the basis of a few of his own devices, but on a completely different level.

Jenny then activated it, a humming noise playing from it as she scanned around the area, then pulled it up, looking at it's side, frowning for a moment.

"There was a lot of bio-electrical energy here. Just some traces left, but..." Jenny paused, scanning around again before checking the side of her Sonic Flashlight once more. "There's a trail...Though it leads off in two different directions. Weird..."

"Computer, scan for bio-electrical energy," Tony ordered, his suit complying. After a moment something popped up. It was faint, very faint, but there. A surge here, and it faded as two different signals went two different ways, before one seemed to disappear completely.

Jenny was moving now, climbing up some rubble, following one of the trails. Iron Man paused, then flew upwards, holding out his arm.

"Here, we'll work together. But remember, I'm the one in the high tech armor," Iron Man said, "So if there's a fight, I'll handle it."

Jenny sighed, then nodded, letting Iron Man pick her up, following the trail that was weakening...

* * *

><p>A.N. What will we see next chapter? The Avengers will get closer to formation, and our heroes will have to deal with some of the super villains running around New York City, along with the likes of The First Sons and their own team, along with a few surprises!<p>

Cole McGrath, Kessler, Reapers, Dust Men, and The First Sons from _inFamous_

Captain Steve Rogers/Captain America from _Marvel_

Rock/Mega Man, and Dr. Light from _Mega Man_

Leonardo from _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ (2003 cartoon)

Harry Potter from _Harry Potter_

Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers from _Scott Pilgrim_

Iron Man/Tony Stark, War Machine/James Rhodes, and Pepper Potts from _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_

Jenny from _Doctor Who_

Along with other miscellaneous references.


	6. Sending a Message

A.N. Sorry for the long wait in the update! Hopefully the next chapter will be sooner...

So! _Avengers Assemble_ here is part of a larger series of stories I'm putting together here on that I'm calling "Earth 42" for those who haven't checked out my profile for more information about all this.

As it is, I like to make references and such to other stories that are part of this world, so what I'm going to do is when one is made is make an asterisk by it (that's one of these: * ) and then a number, starting from 1 and working the way up. If a reference to an event from a different story is made, I'll have the asterisk then the number after it, and then at the end of the chapter there will be a list of where you can find that event.

One final note, these will be direct references that are made, not allusions or just hints.

That why you can either scroll down and see what I'm referring to, or just wait until you get to the end. I don't plan on having a ton of these in any given chapter, but I'd rather be prepared.

Now that that's out of the way, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Cole whistled, impressed as he looked around. An emergency S.H.I.E.L.D. base for agents, buried in New York City under the guise of some abandoned buildings and overgrown lots. No one else was here, excepting himself and Steve Rogers, who was over at a large wall covered in various pieces of paper and pictures, several strings connecting various ones.<p>

It had several rooms, including a few recreational places, a small gym, rooms for sleeping, and a command center with a large table and several computers. It had it's own power supply, the lights on above them. Cole shook his head, almost feeling the energy surge around the area, his mind going back to the hospital. He wondered what was going on

"So... Rogers..." Cole said, staring at the man now. He looked an awful lot like the pictures of Captain America, excepting the more modern clothes he was wearing. Perhaps he was some descendant, but Cole had never heard of Captain America having any kids, "Can I call Trish and Zeke now?"

"Certainly," Steve Rogers nodded, indicating a phone by a console, "I'd recommend using that. Secure line."

Cole nodded, stepping towards the phone. He reached to grab it then cried out, electricity sparking from the console, jumping into him. Cole stumbled backwards, shaking his head.

"What the hell was that?!" Cole yelled. He was unharmed, staring down at his hands. Steve Rogers frowned, but didn't seem alarmed.

"You're a meta-human," Steve answered after a moment, "The Ray Sphere... S.H.I.E.L.D. suspected that, I guess you're confirmation."

Cole shook his head, "I'm... a mutant?"

Steve frowned a little at the word, shaking his head, "Whatever you call it, you have powers now. You didn't before all this, right?"

Cole nodded, "Yah. Believe me, having lightning powers would have been really helpful in some situations."

Steve was quiet for a moment, "Alright then. It looks like you completely drained this console. Let's see what else you can do." Steve then turned, heading out of the command room. Cole paused for a moment then followed, Rogers stopping in a small shooting range within the S.H.I.E.L.D. base.

"This will work," Rogers said, flipping the power on to the room, pointing towards some of the targets on the range, "Why don't you try focusing your lightning at the targets?"

Cole raised an eyebrow, intrigued at the idea. He held up his hands, focusing, trying to feel his electricity. Sparks began to crackle around his hands, and Cole held it up, aiming towards one of the man sized targets.

A bolt of lightning shot from his hand... missing the target and hitting the wall, blackening it slightly.

"Looks like you need to practice," Steve said, "But we can worry about that later."

Cole nodded, then checked his phone in the pocket of his bag.

"I have a charge here... But no bars," Cole frowned, "Guess that makes sense, being underground."

Steve frowned, "From what I understand, those can be traced. I won't stop you from making a call, but you should be aware that someone might be listening in."

Cole paused. Rogers had a point, something Cole himself hadn't considered. Whoever this Kessler was... They had asked for him specifically. They had wanted him to deliver that package and be there at ground zero.

"I need to contact Trish and Zeke," Cole said, "But you're right... I could put them in danger."

Captain Steve Rogers paused for a moment, then snapped his fingers, "We can find them the old fashioned way. Any place you think you could find them?"

Cole was quiet, thinking. "Trish... she'd be at the hospital. Not the one we came from, the one she works at. In a situation like this, she'd be doing everything she could to help. It's pretty far from here though."

"And Zeke?" Rogers asked.

"Closer. Definitely. He'd be up on the roof of our apartment building," Cole answered, "I think just a few blocks from here."

"Then let's go," Steve said, "Though first, I need to suit up..."

* * *

><p>"The trail leads this way," Iron Man, holding unto Jenny as they flew across New York City, "Heading towards the nearest hospital... Wait, what's that?"<p>

Iron Man stopped, hovering the air as they saw what looked like a fight on the rooftops. Several figures clad in black, wielding swords, nunchucks, bos, and other various weapons were darting around. Two strange figures stood back to back between them, one looked like a large humanoid turtle, the other a young teenage boy in blue armor...

"Pepper, what am I looking at?" Tony asked, talking to Pepper over his suit's private comm channel. "Those guys in black... they look like the guys Rhodey and I found trying to steal the Iron Man armor data at Stark Towers." *1

"Ummm... let me see..." Pepper said, "Okay! Yah, those are The Foot, some kind of weird ninja group, but those two in the middle... Is that a turtle?"

"We're going to find out," Tony said, then turned to Jenny, turning his outer speakers back on, "I'm going to set you down on another roof, then I'm going to help those two."

"I can help too..." Jenny said, frowning as Tony flew downwards, letting Jenny down on an opposite roof away from the fight.

"Sorry, I'm the one in armor," Tony said, then shot across the buildings, heading right for the fight!

Leonardo parried a sword with his own, knocking The Foot Ninja backwards as Mega Man fired a blast, sending another stumbling.

A repulsor blast fired from the sky, sending other Foot Ninja back, Iron Man landing on the rooftop as well.

"Alright, I think it's time you ninjas got out of here..." Iron Man said. The ninjas looked towards each other, then shot their hands out, sending out swathes of smoke, cutting down visibility.

"Computer, get rid of this smoke!" Tony ordered. His suit shifted slightly, and sent some blasts of air out, clearing the smoke from the rooftops. The ninja were gone, but Leonardo and Mega Man stood there, staring at Iron Man.

"You're Iron Man!" Mega Man shouted, running forward, "You're a hero... My father always said you were..."

"Heh... thanks kid," Iron Man said, then looked towards Leonardo, "Ummm... Turtle Titan? Aren't you working with Spider-Man?"

Leonardo looked confused for a moment, when understanding dawned on him, "Oh... that's my brother. My name is Leonardo."

Leonardo sheathed his swords now, "Have you encountered the Foot before?"

"Once before," Iron Man answered, "I've heard of them though, but they're usually not on my radar."

Leonardo nodded. He didn't like being out in the open like this, but he recognized the need for allies in a situation like this, and any help they could get would be appreciated, "I see. Thank you then. We can handle things now."

"I think we should stick together."

The three turned, Jenny grinning as she leaned against the entrance way to the building from the roof.

"How did you get over here?" Iron Man asked. Jenny just smiled as she stepped forward.

"Girl's gotta have some secrets," Jenny said.

"Ohhh, I like her," Pepper said over Iron Man's communications, Tony just frowning beneath his suit.

"We're tracking down someone," Jenny said, "Possibly the source of the blast that has this city under lock down. We could use some more help."

"Of course!" Mega Man said, nodding, "We'd be happy to help! We gotta set things right."

Leonardo was quiet, frowning still. Teaming up with others, with these heroes... it was more Mikey's thing. Leo wanted to help, do what he could for others, but whatever was going on...

He was a ninja. Stick to the shadows, to the darkness. But still... these three weren't instantly against him because he was different. The world was becoming different then how Master Splinter said it once was. Heroes of all kinds... Mikey, as Turtle Titan, had become known as a Teen Titan, a hero in Jump City, and now in New York City.

Certainly there were others that still thought them monsters, villains even. But others... that bike courier he had helped, when he had met Rock. The courier had expressed gratitude towards him, didn't seem to care about his appearance. Rock and his sister Roll didn't seem to be concerned about their appearances either...

"...Alright then," Leonardo finally said, "I will give what help that I can..."

* * *

><p>"That was... strange..." Harry said as he stepped out from a doorway, Scott and Ramona right behind him. They were in a completely different alleyway now, and Harry turned to them, seeing the doorway had vanished. Normally this would bring a lot questions, but Harry just decided it was best not to ask for now.<p>

"...Can that get you out of the city?" Harry asked after a moment, "Using those doorways?"

Scott and Ramona shared a glance, then shook their heads.

"Normally, yes, it could," Ramona answered, "But we've tried, whatever that red barrier is, it's stopping anyway to get out of the city."

Harry sighed, but nodded, "Right... Oh well, we can't leave yet anyways. Something is going on here, and people are in danger."

Scott grinned, "Exactly!"

Suddenly they heard a loud noise, brick and stone exploding outwards unto the street, and a voice laughing from it.

"Hahahaha! Man, this is too easy!" a large man in what looked to be a rhino costume laughed, holding up sacks of money, "With Spider-Man and those other heroes too busy helpin' others, I can really clean up."

"Ohhhh!" Scott said, his eyes alight, "This looks like fun!"

Ramona rolled her eyes, Harry just frowning as Scott charged towards the man.

"You Americans are strange," Harry commented to Ramona.

"He's actually Canadian," Ramona responded, producing a large mallet from her bag and joining Scott.

"Hey! Big... rhino... guy!" Scott yelled, clenching his fist as he stared up at The Rhino, who just looked downwards.

"Huh? Kid, get out of my way!" The Rhino yelled, "I ain't got time for you!"

The Rhino took a few thundering footsteps, when Scott had leaped into the air, bringing his foot around to roundhouse kick the villain.

The Rhino smirked, the foot hitting the side of his head, and not even moving him. Scott gulped as Rhino grabbed him, spinning him around and slamming him into a street lamp.

"Sorry kid, but you shouldn't try to be a hero!" Rhino laughed, "Anyone else?"

"How about me?" Ramona yelled, racing forward and bringing her mallet upwards, swinging it wide. The Rhino grabbed the end, stopping it completely, surprising Ramona.

Harry waved his wand, and The Rhino felt himself suddenly float up into the air, letting go of the mallet, scrambling for the ground.

"Hey, O'Hirn! What's wrong?" a new voice shouted. A man made of sand came out of the bank now, money, jewels, and other precious items sticking out of him.

"Great... another one..." Ramona frowned, "I heard New York City had a super villain problem..."

The Rhino then crashed back into the ground, grumbling as he picked himself back up, glancing towards his partner in crime. "Just some annoying brats!"

"But not Spider-Man, huh?" Sandman grinned, pounding a fist into a palm, "We'll knock them out and then get out of here! We already made our big score!"

Scott rushed forward again, catching Sandman by surprise as he unleashed a flurry of punches, sending sand flying around him. Sandman focused, forming behind Scott now, grabbing the young man and throwing him backwards towards Rhino, who swatted Scott to the ground.

Ramona glared, swinging her mallet around and looking between the two super villains. Harry held up his wand, trying to remember a spell that might work on the two.

"Can you keep the sand guy distracted for a moment? I think I have something that may work on the rhino one..." Harry said to Ramona. The girl nodded, then charged towards Sandman. She swung her mallet around, bringing it to bear on Sandman, who ducked and weaved, avoiding the blows.

"Gonna need more then that little stick if you think you can fight me!" Rhino laughed at Harry, and charged.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry declared, pointing his wand at The Rhino. The villain locked up, arms moving to his side, legs stopping as his entire body became rigid, and he fell forward with a thud.

"What the?! What did you do?" The Rhino yelled, trying to move but finding himself unable to.

"O'Hirn!" Sandman yelled, knocking Ramona away. He rushed towards Harry, taking the wizard by surprise and slamming him into a wall, Harry dropping his wand to the ground.

"Fix him! Right now!" Sandman yelled, "Or I'm gonna pound you!"

"I can't..." Harry muttered, finding himself unable to move. He glanced towards his fallen wand, which had rolled a few feet away. Sandman didn't seem to notice his eyes, instead bringing his fist back to pound Harry.

Something flew from above, and Harry felt himself released as an object slashed through Sandman's arm that was keeping him pinned. He dove for his wand, grabbing it and getting back up as Sandman reformed his hand.

"What was that?!" Sandman yelled, then paused as he looked down the sidewalk, where another figure stood.

Clad in red, white, and blue, the figure idly caught the round shield that came back to him, slipping it on over his arm. The figure smirked a little.

"With powers like that, you could be doing a lot of good for the people of this city," Captain America said, shaking his head sadly, "Ever think about becoming a hero?"

"Woah! It's Captain America!" Sandman said, stepping backwards, "Waaaaiiit... I wasn't the best in school, but you were suppose to have died!"

"There were a lot of things I was suppose to have done..." Captain America said idly, "Now will you surrender peacefully?"

"No way!" The Rhino yelled now from the ground. He grunted, and managed to break free of his Body Binding Curse with an immense amount of effort, standing back up.

"Thanks for the help," Harry said towards Captain America, who nodded.

"Of course, it's the least I could do," Captain America said, lifting his shield up now. "You any good with that stick?"

"Not bad..." Harry answered, not quite sure he was having this conversation. Captain America was known in Britain as well, having taken down the H.Y.D.R.A. unit of the Nazis back during World War II, and essentially being the first super hero.

"Good... Let's take them down then," Captain America said, then charged forward.

From a roof, Cole watched them fight, frowning. He wanted to help, but he wasn't sure how he'd do against super villains. Even with his new powers, he just didn't know enough about them yet.

The Rhino charged at Captain America, who slid under the brute as they came close, slapping something unto the villain's chest as he slid by.

"What? Some kind of explosive?" The Rhino laughed, reaching for the device, "Like that's going to stop me!"

He grabbed for the device, when a powerful electric shock went through him, the device going off! The Rhino stumbled backwards, then shook his head, clearing it. He roared in anger, then charged Captain America!

Harry focused, waving his wand around as Sandman charged as well. As Sandman created weapons from his sand, Harry blasted them, sending sand flying around the street.

"Going to have to try harder then that!" Sandman laughed, "I can do this all day!"

Harry jumped suddenly, waving his wand and pointing it right at Sandman.

"Expulso!" Harry declared, and Sandman exploded, sending sand flying everywhere. Harry landed on the ground, rolling and getting to Scott and Ramona, who were picking themselves up now.

"Awww, man, I'm gonna have sand _everywhere_," Scott whined, shaking his head.

Slowly, Sandman was beginning to reform, muttering to himself.

The Rhino scowled, then brought his fist down towards Captain America, who brought his shield up. The blow hit the shield, sending Captain America down some, but he stayed upright, as several more blows rained down.

Cole frowned, watching as The Rhino continued to pound Captain America, and came to a decision.

He leaped from the building, letting his energy build as he hit the ground, sending out a small shock wave, causing the others to pause, including The Rhino.

"Hey, Rhino! Try this!" Cole yelled, focusing. Lightning sparked from his hands, shooting at The Rhino, who stumbled back as the lightning hit him. Cole kept firing, and The Rhino shook his head.

"Now!" Scott yelled, dashing forward. Cole let up as Scott leaped over The Rhino, grabbing the brute's horn, still going and using his strength and momentum to flip The Rhino over and unto his back, slamming him into the ground.

"Thanks for the save," Captain America said, "You did god."

Rhino groaned from the ground, not getting up, Sandman still slowly reforming.

"So then!" Captain America said, turning to the others, "I'm Captain Steve Rogers. You may know me better as Captain America."

"I'm... ummm... Harry Potter," Harry said, waving his hand idly.

"Scott Pilgrim!" Scott grinned, "Canada's number one fighter!... if you don't count that Wolverine guy..."

"Ramona Flowers," Ramona answered simply, nodding her head.

"...Cole McGrath..." Cole said, introducing himself.

"You can shoot lightning from your hands?" Scott asked, suddenly appearing next to Cole, wide eyed, "That is... sooooooo cool!"

"Ummm... thanks..." Cole said, rubbing the back of his head, "So what do we do about these two?"

"We'll have to leave them for proper authorities," Steve Rogers said, then paused as he heard sirens, two cop cars coming towards them.

Four police officers got out of the squad cars, three of them drawing their guns as one advanced, holding his badge up. Steve waved cheerfully at them, which made them pause.

"Hello officers," Steve said, stepping forward, "We've apprehended these villains. Do you need help getting them moved?"

"Errr... no..." the lead officer said, then looked towards Cole McGrath, "We're here for him."

He stepped towards Cole, who frowned, holding his hands up.

"Cole McGrath, you are under arrest for terrorist actions on United States soil, and for the death and destruction of countless citizens..." the officer said, gulping slightly, "You have the right to remain silent..."

* * *

><p>The Reapers lay in piles, all of them dead. One in particular was sprawled against the wall, blood having congealed against it, originating from the white clad Reaper. The top of his head was missing, and flies buzzed around the corpse. Written on the wall in blood was three words...<p>

"Forensic has done what they can, sir..." an officer of the NYPD said to Captain George Stacey, who was surveying the grisly scene, "But we're still undermanned with everything going on..."

"I know..." Captain Stacey sighed, "But this is still important..."

"Errr... is it, sir? I mean, if someone's going around killing these bastards, isn't that a good thing?" the officer asked, frowning slightly.

"The cure might be worse then the disease," Stacey answered, shaking his head, "Is the one in white the only one who had the top of their head removed?"

"Yah. Weirdest thing. We can't figure out what did it. There's all kinds of slices and bruises on some of the other ones we checked too," the officer said, frowning, "Have you seen anything like this before?"

"No... I haven't, thankfully," Stacey said, frowning at the wall.

"Perp left his name at least," the officer said, following the captain's gaze, "We're checking it out, but I doubt it'll get any matches... The bad guys call themselves all sorts of crazy things today. Think Spider-Man will get this guy for us too?"

"I think..." Stacey said carefully, staring at the wall, "I wouldn't want to find out."

Dried to the wall were three simple words, declaring to the world who had done this deplorable act.

_I am Sylar_

* * *

><p>References:<p>

1 – _Honor Among Rogues_, Chapter III: "Showdowns"

- Iron Man and War Machine showed up when a fight between Red X and Black Cat against Karai and her Foot Ninjas set off an alarm in Stark Tower, where both factions were attempting to steal the Iron Man blueprints from said Tower.

* * *

><p>A.N. Huzzah! New chapter! The team is slowly starting to come together, though it seems like things might be keeping them apart...<p>

With the hint of another player on the scene too, one who might one day challenge the Avengers.

Next chapter _may_ be more villain focused, with less to do with my Avengers here, but we'll see.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! But before you go, I have something to say.

So... Thor. He's not in this story. I've been hesitant to include Thor in _Earth 42_ for a few reasons, ranging from not being sure how I'd handle the Nine Realms from not being sure how well I could personally handle the character. Another, selfish and stupid reason, being that there has been a reviewer who basically called me an idiot for not including Thor in this story, and me having a knee jerk reaction and deciding to not have Thor anywhere.

Obviously that's childish of me, and shouldn't be a reason for an iconic character such as Thor to not show up. One other reason, I feel slightly more legitimate, is that I'm hesitant to include "gods" in _Earth 42_. Obviously they don't have to be actual gods, but I wonder where I draw the line. Wonder Woman will eventually show up in _Earth 42_ as well, and her mythos is steeped heavily in Greek myth, so I need to figure out how to balance that with everything else as well.

On the other hand, I have things like the Demon King Piccolo, or Aku, who are part of _Earth 42_. There's the Spirit World, the Ghost Realm, the Null Void, all these other dimensions and what not that are part of all this. Heck, I plan on Death himself to show up at some point. Tall chap, wears black, talks in all caps.

But Thor is not going to appear in this story. I have never wanted _Earth 42_ to be about established teams (except in certain cases) interacting with other established teams. I wanted them to be mixed around. Heck, even in the one case I have so far of a full team taken full cloth (the Teen Titans, from the cartoon), I introduced five brand new members from five other places in the story.

I want _Earth 42_ to be a true crossover. Characters from different places forming a team, or groups, or things like that. Characters make allies and enemies, there are overlaps in many places. I want to retell old stories in completely different ways, or tell entirely new stories. I take inspiration from pretty much anything I enjoy, and try to work in references to various things. I have ideas for random one off lines or for stories I'll probably never write (like a Venture Bros/Archer/S.H.I.E.L.D. crossover) that I'd like to be able to set in this universe.

Yes, these are The Avengers. But they're not _Marvel's_ Avengers. They're _Earth 42's_ Avengers. There's a difference, there has to be, or I'd just be retelling the same story that's already been done, with the same characters. And I don't want to do that.

So... will Thor appear later in _Earth 42_? Probably. Will he be an Avenger? Maybe. Maybe he'll join the Justice League instead. Maybe he already _is _part of the Justice League, I still haven't finalized who is. Maybe he'll be part of something else entirely. Maybe he won't even show up until Saga II.

I hope I've been able to accurately explain what I mean here. If anyone has a question regarding anything, please, PM me, and I'll do what I can to answer it.


	7. Man of the Hour

A.N. Huzzah, an update finally! Sorry for the wait, but I hope this chapter is enjoyable!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Tell me... Doctor Fries, how often do you consider the future? How often do you think about the path that humanity is going down?" the old man known simply as Kessler asked, looking over New York City in a well fortified building. He had this part of New York City well under his control, and no one had come to oppose him. Local law enforcement and heroes were busy elsewhere in the city.<p>

And _he_ would be having his first test soon...

"I use to..." Mr. Freeze, the ice villain from Gotham answered, "Nowadays, I only have one thing on my mind..."

"Yes... your wife. How goes your research?" Kessler asked, turning now towards his fellow scientist. "Is everything to your satisfaction?"

"Yes. I am... unused to others fulfilling their part of the bargain. There are a few things I would like, but they are not critical. I understand getting the proper supplies here will be difficult," Freeze answered, "I have already submitted them."

"I'll make sure that they are handled," Kessler said, "But I didn't call you here just for that. Surely you are wondering why."

"You are paying the bills, so to speak, and letting me work... Is this the part where you say you only need me for a small project, and I can get back to my wife later?" Freeze asked carefully.

"No, no," Kessler said, "I wouldn't be remiss if you looked at a couple things and gave a few suggestions, but I don't need any hard data from you or the like for anything. No... I called you here because I need others to know. The Beast... The Beast is coming."

Freeze stayed quiet, letting Kessler speak, not bothering to interrupt. It would be pointless, he didn't have enough information.

"You are not a superstitious man, Mr. Fries?" Kessler then asked, "Do you believe in things like demons?"

Freeze considered the question, then answered, "Belief is meaningless. Either something exists, or it does not. On this planet we have seen alien life... we even accept it in some of our heroes. Several years ago there was that... strange creature that threatened the planet, when the Justice League formed. Perhaps it was not what a traditional person would call a 'demon' but the term can work just as well."

Kessler gave a small smile, "So you are willing to accept, for lack of a better term, the idea of a demon?"

Freeze nodded, "It is merely a naming convention. There are things we do not understand. Most make the mistake of thinking that because we do not understand something now, it must be outside the realm of science. We simply lack the proper tools to understand it now, but that does not mean we won't later. We use to believe lightning was the weapon of the gods, but now we know the atmospheric conditions needed to make it. What do we believe now that we will know in the future?"

Kessler nodded as well, taking a moment as he looked out over the city, the red energy shield in the sky covering it.

"There is something coming. A terrible creature, a Beast. It will turn the world to stone, and all we see before us will be lost," Kessler said, "I could have stopped it, so long ago. But I didn't. I fled. I had a family, you see... I went to protect them, take them away. The world was devastated, so few people left... But it was all in vain anyways... my family died despite my efforts, and I vowed that this time, I would be strong enough..."

Freeze, to his credit, remained quiet as Kessler spoke. The man was giving him considerable amount of money and resources and had asked for very little so far, he could listen for a little bit.

"Are you saying you are from the future, Kessler?" Freeze asked after a moment, his expression still never changing.

"Perhaps... a future, at the very least. I never did bother to figure out the how. It was a one way trip though, I can't do it again," Kessler answered, "I wonder what you think of this, Dr. Fries."

"It does not matter where you came from, or your motivations," Freeze answered, "You are here, and you have upheld your end of our deal thus far for me. To believe you or not would be a pointless endeavor."

"Ahh, yes, belief..." Kessler said, smiling sadly, "Dr. Fries, I may not be long for this world. The First Sons may not survive my death. Someone with enough force, with enough go to, could take over when I leave. The position would give one considerable power and resources, enough to do practically anything."

Kessler finally turned back to Freeze, staring intently at the man.

"I am not interested in power or wealth. There is only one thing I seek," Freeze answered.

"Yes... I understand," Kessler said, "But whoever takes over may not be as amiable to your plight as I am. With the entire resources of The First Sons with you, imagine what you could do... perhaps cure your own condition? Help truly make the world a better place? What would the point of bringing your wife back into a world so cold, if you can make it better for her?"

Freeze paused. He had not considered that before. He had promised his wife he would cure her, and he would do that however possible... But he had long since considered his own plight to be his curse to bear.

"You... make a good point..." Freeze answered, "I shall consider your offer. If there's nothing else, I must get back to my work."

"That's all... thank you for letting an old man have his rant," Kessler said, "Good luck with your work."

Freeze merely nodded, leaving now, Kessler turning back to the cityscape.

* * *

><p>It had been way to close. He had barely gotten to New York City when the Ray Sphere went off, and the city was quarantined from the outside world. But he had the arc reactor installed now, increasing his power by the order of several magnitudes. And now he was making his way towards finding him, the one his Master had told him to destroy. The one who could stop him.<p>

Brother Blood stopped atop the rooftop he was on, scanning the streets. There. So much energy in that one human, he stood out like a beacon on his scanners.

He tilted his head, his scanners were still detecting... fluctuations. Sometimes it would appear as though there were two signatures, exactly the same, but one was fleeting. He would investigate later, right now he had the one person who was said to be able to stop his Master in his sights. There were... others, but they would be inconsequential.

Down on the street, Cole McGrath had his hands up, Captain America stepping in front of him, looking concerned as the cops shared a glance.

"You have the wrong person," Captain America said, "Cole McGrath is innocent."

Harry, Ramona, and Scott all glanced towards each other, not sure what to do.

"Well... sir... You're just a guy in a Captain America costume," one of the cops said, "Capes don't have any authority here."

"How about S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Captain America asked, he began to reach into a pouch when he froze, then darted forward, tackling the cop to the ground just as a red beam of sonic energy passed through where he had been.

Something smashed unto the roof of the cop car, denting the metal and causing car alarms to sound around them from the impact.

Brother Blood stood up from the top of the cop car, cracking his neck and grinning madly.

"Time to die..." Blood said coldly, then darted at Cole, bringing his right hand up, his metal fingers suddenly sharpening into claws.

Cole backpedaled, ducking to the side, barely avoiding the attack in time as Blood moved past him, rolling as he hit the ground and springing back up.

Scott suddenly flew at Blood, bringing his fist around. Blood spun and caught his fist, his eyes glowing red as he and Scott struggled. Scott suddenly went limp, stepping backwards, Blood smiling.

"What did you do?!" Ramona yelled, racing at Blood herself now, wielding her giant hammer. Blood didn't move, turning away from Ramona as Captain America got back up, throwing his shield at him.

Ramona's hammer was stopped by Scott, his eyes glowing a dull red now.

"Scott, what are you doing?" Ramona yelled, pulling back on the hammer. Scott said nothing, merely letting go and throwing his fist at her!

Blood caught Captain America's shield, then dropped it to the ground. Captain America ran at him, throwing his fist, being caught by Blood as well.

"Nice get up... Now do my bidding!" Blood commanded, his eyes glowing red. Captain America just stared right back, then brought his other fist up and slammed it into Blood's face.

Blood was knocked back, stumbling as he suddenly felt himself flipped into the air, Harry pointing his hand at him.

"Fine! You will do as well!" Blood declared, his eyes glowing once more as he looked at Harry. There was a brief pause, and Harry flicked his wand again, sending Blood flying into the already destroyed police car, giving it another serious dent.

"Gah! Why are there so many people resistant to me coming out of the woodwork?" Blood yelled as he picked himself up, "Fine then!"

Blood's eyes glowed, turning as Scott threw Ramona to the side. He glared at the girl, who went slack for a moment, then turned towards Captain America and Harry.

"Finally... at least you two are susceptible..." Blood scowled, "Deal with those two!"

The brainwashed Scott and Ramona charged at Captain America and Harry, Blood turning his attention to Cole, who was placing one hand against a street light.

"Now it's just you and me... you will not stop my Master!" Blood declared.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but I'm getting really tired of all this shit happening to me," Cole said, glaring, "So why don't you get the hell away from me?"

Electricity sparked from the street lamp, draining into Cole as he held his free hand up. He focused, then sent the blast straight at Blood, who cried out in pain as the electricity sparked through his system.

"Gahhhhh! You... I... will not... be... defeated!" Blood shouted. His chest plate suddenly opened, revealing a circle that was glowing... an arc reactor, redirecting the energy into it.

It built up to a critical level, then fired a blast at Cole! The former courier held up his hands, an electro-magnetic shield appearing in front of him, taking the blast, converting it back into energy, Cole feeling himself invigorated.

"You know, these powers may not be so bad..." Cole grinned, "I wonder what else I can do..."

Blood shook, then pointed his right hand at Cole, shifting it into a sonic cannon. "Time for you to die."

A blast from above sent him stumbling, a red and yellow figure descending downwards, landing on the ground.

"I don't know what's happening, but Iron Man is going to stop it!" Iron Man declared, holding up his hands, his repulsor blasts at the ready.

"This is getting... annoying..." Blood scowled, "Fine, you will do my bidding as well!"

"Careful, Iron Man, he can take over people's minds!" Captain America shouted.

Tony smirked beneath his helmet, staring right back at Blood. "Really now? That might have worked... about ten upgrades ago!"

After his first run in with the A.I.M. being known as M.O.D.O.C., Tony had put mental suppressors into his system to stop himself from being mentally controlled or probed.

Iron Man held up his hands, firing his own repulsor blasts at Brother Blood, who blocked them with a shield of red energy.

Brother Blood cried out as a shot hit him from behind, sending him stumbling now as a blue armor clad teenager held his blaster up.

"Damn... there's too many of you," Brother scowled, "This isn't over!"

Blood shoved his hands down into the ground, sending out a blast of sonic energy all around him, forcing the ground to buckle, more car alarms going off, and nearby buildings began to shake.

All but Iron Man, who was in the air, stumbled as the shock wave rode out. Brother Blood smirked, leaping up and making right towards Cole.

A sword slashed through the air, blocking Blood's attack, Leonardo struggling against the cybernetic man.

Blood's eyes glowed, and Leo lowered his sword, stumbling back shakily. Scott and Ramona, their own eyes still glowing, jumped back into the fight, Scott moving towards Mega Man while Ramona had leaped into the air, bringing her hammer around to hit Iron Man.

Captain America ran towards Blood and Cole, the electric courier holding his hands up, electricity sparking in his arms. Leonardo turned, and Cap found he had to block twin sword slashes from the mutated turtle with his shield, steel sliding off the curved adamantium.

Cole brought his hands together, shooting a blast of lightning towards Blood, who jinxed to the side, bringing his claws around at attack.

Suddenly Blood froze, his entire body sparking slightly as his joints locked up, falling flat on his face.

Jenny frowned, holding her sonic flashlight up, pointing it towards Blood, stepping out now from the alleyway.

Leonardo paused, and his eyes returned to normal. He shook his head and stepped back, sheathing his swords.

"He was... in my head..." Leo said, "I'm sorry for attacking you... it caught me off guard, I should have been better prepared."

"It's alright," Captain America said, "Right now we still have the other two to deal with."

"I bet if we knock this guy out, they'll snap back," Cole said, moving down towards the unmoving Blood, who was cursing loudly with his nose to the ground. He grabbed the back of Blood's head, lifting it up for a minute before he slammed it against the asphalt. There was an audible thud as Blood lost consciousness.

Scott and Ramona both paused in their own attacks, Scott fumbling in mid air as he realized where he was, hitting the ground hard himself.

"What happened?" Ramona asked, rubbing her head, "I just remember... red..."

"Some kind of mind control," Harry said, "A lot like the Imperius Curse."

"So anyone know who this guy is?" Scott asked now, sitting up and rubbing his own head, "So I can put him down as 'guy I need to avoid'?"

"Brother Blood," Iron Man said, landing now and scanning over Blood, "Let's see... Slow down Pepper..."

Iron Man was quiet for a moment, then nodded, "He ran some super villain training center known as 'H.I.V.E.' for a bit. Went off the radar and returned as... well, as a cyborg. He fought with the Teen Titans, and was defeated by them, and he... hey!"

Iron Man stalked forward, grabbing Blood and flipping him around. "He's got my tech in him too! An arc reactor."

Iron Man moved to try and disable it, when Blood's eyes opened suddenly. He jerked, surprising Iron Man and throwing him off before he jumped back into the air.

"I will destroy you, for my master!" Blood declared, "Next time!"

There was a blinding flash of red light, and when it died down, Blood had disappeared. The heroes paused, glancing towards each other, except for Leonardo and Captain America, who were trying to see if they could spot Blood, and Iron Man, who was doing a scan.

"I can't pick anything up," Iron Man said, landing now and walking towards Captain America.

"Thank for the assistance, Iron Man," Cap said, putting out his hand. The two shook hands, Tony nodding beneath his helmet.

"We saw the light show, figured we should investigate," Iron Man said, "So who is everyone here?"

"I'm Scott Pilgrim! Number 1 fighter in Canada! ...well, if you don't count that Wolverine guy..." Scott said, rubbing his chin.

"Ramona," Ramona Flowers said, putting her large mallet back into her small bag, "Scott's my boyfriend."

"My name is Rock," Rock said, his Mega Man armor disappearing now, "But you can call me Mega Man when I have that armor on."

"...Leonardo," the blue clad turtle said, nodding to the group. He was uncomfortable standing out in the street in the middle of the day, but there were a lot less people out now, with the barrier.

"You can call me Jenny!" the blonde Time Lord smiled, moving her sonic flashlight around before she put it back on her belt.

"Name's Harry Potter," Harry said, a little unused to introducing himself. Usually people saw his scar and knew instantly who he was, but no one here seemed part of the magical community, and even then the magical community in America hadn't bothered with Voldemort's reign of terror happening across the pond.

"He's a wizard!" Scott added helpfully, grinning and clapping a hand on Harry's shoulder, who just sighed.

"I'm Cole," Cole answered, nodding to the others. He paused as he looked around, seeing the two cops emerge from behind one of their cop cars, not being equipped to deal with a super fight. "Are you still going to try and arrest me?"

"Cole McGrath is in my custody," Captain America said, stepping forward, "I take full responsibility for anything he does."

The two cops looked towards each other, and one pulled out their radio. After a few minutes of quiet talking, they turned back towards the heroes.

"Alright... it's on you then," one of them said, "Captain Stacey said to go ahead."

"Thank you," Cap said, then turned back to the others. The cops headed off, leaving the heroes relatively alone.

"I could use some help," Captain America said, "There's a man named Kessler, leader of The First Sons. S.H.I.E.L.D. has reason to believe that they are responsible for that blast here in New York City. Cole here is connected, somehow. I don't know how exactly."

"I... delivered the package, the thing that made the blast... I didn't know it was a bomb though," Cole said, "And I was at ground zero. I don't know how I survived."

"It wasn't like any kind of energy I've seen before," Iron Man said, "I saw the sight not long after, I got a lot of data on it, but it's... confusing. I've been shifting through it when I can."

He turned to Cole now, scanning the man, "And I'm picking up a lot of energy from you."

"He seems to have gained electrical powers," Captain America explained, "He says he didn't have them before."

"That's true!" Rock said, "I met him before! So did Leo here!"

Leonardo nodded as well when everyone else glanced towards him, "That is true... He has being assaulted by some Purple Dragons, and did not seem to have his powers then."

Iron Man nodded. He felt he could trust Captain America, after all. He turned to speak to everyone else, then paused when Pepper broke in.

"Tony! There's a newscast! You need to see this!" Pepper yelled. Tony tapped into the local TV airwaves, then pointed his hand against the wall, projecting it for the others.

On the screen was Kessler, the old man looking levelly ahead.

"Hello, citizens of New York City. My name is Kessler..." the man said.

"Pepper, try to track down the origin of this signal!" Tony said in his armor as the broadcast continued.

"Times have been hard... and they will continue to get more difficult with time," Kessler continued, "If you are interested in who is responsible, it is a man named Cole McGrath."

Silence, the screen changing to show several pictures of Cole, and a video of him on a security camera, opening the package with the Ray Sphere inside, and the explosion...

"Cole McGrath survived the explosion where many others perished. However you wish to use this information... it is up to you," Kessler said, then the broadcast died.

"Pepper...?" Tony asked quietly.

"Sorry Tony... couldn't get a lock on the origin," Pepper sighed.

"It's okay Pepper. But now..."

Everyone turned towards Cole again, the former courier stiffening slightly, worried they would try and gain up on him...

"I still believe him to be innocent," Captain America said, "I knew he was there already, but I have reason to believe that another group was just using him. I know this is a lot to trust me, but I can show you the information..."

The others were all quiet, weighing their options.

"...I saw him fight against the Purple Dragons," Leonardo said, "He helped Rock here when he had no reason to. I have no reason to question his honor."

Rock nodded as well, "Yah! He helped me when he didn't have to... I can pay him back."

"Tony...?" Pepper asked, and Tony sighed.

"I grew up on stories about Captain America. I can't say I can believe McGrath here... But if Captain America vouches for you, I will believe you."

Jenny grinned, stepping forward and looking over Cole, "Sounds just like something my father would do, help out the underdog! Count me in. I'll help get to the bottom of all this."

"I came here for completely different purposes..." Harry spoke up, "...But... I know what it's like, for people to think you're responsible for something you're not. I'll help."

"Ohhhh, some kind of shadowy organization targeting this guy for reasons unknown? Sounds like fun!" Scott grinned, clenching his fist, "Count me in!"

"If the doofus is in, so am I," Ramona added, smirking.

Cole looked wordlessly at the others. All these people were giving him a chance when they had no reason to. They would help him...

"I... look, I don't want all of you to get into trouble over me. I can handle myself," Cole said, shaking his head, "I'm grateful, don't get me wrong, but I don't want anyone else getting hurt over me."

"That's the thing," Iron Man said, "A lot of people have gotten hurt, possibly over you. And we don't know why. If we act by ourselves, we might never get to the bottom of this... But if we work together..."

Captain America smiled, then put his hand forward. After a moment everyone else but Cole had put their hand in. Cole looked towards the group, then stepped forward, putting his hand on.

"I wish I knew more I could tell all of you," Cole said, "But... even if we can't figure out everything, at least we'll avenge those who fell."

* * *

><p>A.N. The Avengers have finally come together, but will they work well as a team? Will they find out the truth behind Kessler and the First Sons? Will Freeze consider Kessler's offer?<p>

Find out later!

I'm thinking this story will probably be winding down soon, in maybe two or three chapters. I'm not making any exact promises, since I know basically what I want to do, but the details could be longer or shorter then I'm thinking.

We will most likely finally see Zeke and Trish next chapter though.


	8. Choices

It was a flat top building, a fence around it to deter would be jumpers, but it had been converted into a kind of living area, the way down boarded up, with only the fire escape as a reliable means up and down to the building's roof. Chairs were set up, a couple old TV sets, an old couch, and even some mannequins. Beer bottles and cans were scattered across the roof as well, and a figure sat on the couch, staring at another figure across from him.

"...And that's what happened, Zeke..." Cole said, sighing. "I swear, if I had known what would happen..."

"Look, buddy, I believe you," Zeke said, getting up now. He was a little shorter then Cole, with brown hair slicked back. He wore a black jacket with a white collared shirt beneath it, looking grungy, with a belt with several pouches around his midsection.

"Hell, you even brought Captain freaking America with you," Zeke laughed, looking to the other figure on the roof with them, who was scanning the buildings around them, "We're pals, hombres, you and I. Hell, Trish and I were worried sick when you disappeared from the hospital. What happened?"

Cole filled in the story to Zeke, about how he had awoken to Steve Rogers in his hospital room, and the run in with the Reapers, along with meeting the others.

Zeke chuckled, shaking his head, "What, you putting together your own superhero group? Got a name for yourselves?"

"We're not... we just want to help people," Cole said, "Or at least avenge those lost... Maybe that's the best we can hope for."

"Well then... Have you called Trish yet?" Zeke asked, "Though... you wouldn't know..."

"Wouldn't know what? Is Trish okay? What happened?" Cole asked, stepping forward, "I haven't been able to make any calls yet. I wanted to see her in person first..."

Zeke made a face, grimacing for a moment, "Trish's sister. Amy... She was lost when that, uhhhh... Ray Sphere thing you said, exploded."

"Oh god," Cole stumbled backwards, feeling woozy as Zeke made an apologetic face no, resting his hand on one of the televisions. "And then..."

"And then that guy went on the airwaves and said it was your fault," Zeke said, "So... that thing gave you super powers? Do you still have it?"

Thinking that Zeke was merely trying to change the subject, Cole latched unto it, shaking his head.

"I... no... When I woke up I just had the clothes on my back, pretty much, you remember," Cole said, "I got out of the blast area, and then all that commotion..."

"Oh yah, all that lightning! Must have been reacting to you, now that I think about it..." Zeke said, rubbing his chin, "You were pretty beat up."

"Hold up... we're being watched," Captain America said, unslinging his shield from his back, stopping as he looked at one rooftop in particular. Cole and Zeke stiffened as well, electricity sparking around Cole's arms as he looked around, Zeke pulling out his six shooter.

"Probably some government agents... bet they're in on this!" Zeke said. Cole raised an eyebrow at his best friend, then looked over to Captain America. Zeke had the decency to look sheepish, but didn't say anything.

"Iron Man, you're our eyes I the sky, what do you see?" Captain America asked, ignoring Zeke as he pressed a device in his ear. He kept his eyes on the same spot though, frowning as his body tensed.

"I'm not seeing... hold on, my scans are picking something up, I... AUGH!" Iron Man started, crying out suddenly.

Rogers tore his gaze from the roof across from them, looking upwards as Iron Man tumbled in the sky. From a different rooftop came a blast of sound waves, hitting Iron Man again, causing the red and gold hero to tumble, slamming into another building with a crash.

"Leonardo, south-west rooftop," Captain America said. After a couple moments Rogers saw Leo jump up through the fire escape on the building, using his hard trained ninja skills to get their fast.

Rogers turned suddenly, battle honed instincts kicking in as he jumped and rolled, using his shield as a springboard when a blast of high pressure water slammed through the air where he had been, hitting the televisions and sending some sparks flying, destroying the televisions.

"Hey, my TVs!" Zeke yelled, getting up and shooting in the direction of the water blast, hitting nothing but air.

"Zeke, stay down!" Cole yelled, as from where Captain America had been looking earlier stood a man in a blue outfit and blond hair.

The man leaped from the rooftop, his lower half forming into water and creating longer legs, stepping over unto the roof.

Rogers threw his shield, which just sloshed through the water man, the blond just grinning as the shield rebounded off the chain link fence and back to Captain America.

Cole held up his hands, firing blasts of lightning at the water man, who just laughed as the lightning seemed to not effect him.

"You idiot, I'm grounded! You can't touch Hydro-Man!" the blond laughed, holding up his arm and blasting Cole with water, the electric man being thrown back, his own electricity sparking wildly around him, causing Cole intense pain.

"Hey, let go of my bud!" Zeke shouted, firing a few rounds into Hydro-Man, the bullets passing through him harmlessly. Hydro-Man laughed, turning to attack Zeke now, stopping his flow of water at Cole.

Cole growled, focusing his electricity, throwing forth a sudden wave of electromagnetic energy, knocking Hydro-Man back as he shot a blast of water, the attack missing Zeke narrowly as the blue clad villain was knocked back.

"Need a little help?"

Scott appeared, leaping over the fence around the roof, bringing a fist around at Hydro-Man, who simply shot his hand forward, grabbing Scott and absorbing him in an orb of water. The Canadian struggled, unable to breath now as he struggled in the water.

"Let him go!" Ramona yelled, appearing now with her mallet, swinging it downwards through Hydro-Man, who just reformed, still gripping Scott in the ball of water, his eyes going wide as he struggled.

Hydro-Man shot out his other arm, grabbing Ramona and holding her up, encasing her in water as well.

"Give up, and maybe I will release them..." Hydro-Man said, glaring at Captain America and Cole. Cole and Steve glanced towards each other, Rogers holding his shield up.

Harry appeared in a twist of magic, Apparating with a crack and pointing his wand at Hydro-Man. The villain's chest exploded, but simply reformed, laughing as Harry continued to hold up his wand, running through spells in his head.

"Let them go!" Cole yelled, feeling his electricity growing, "NOW!"

He threw his hands down, lightning sparking from the sky, coming down in a thundering crash on Hydro-Man, the water villain standing his ground as the lightning rained down, starting to heat up, but still grounded.

Cole stopped, feeling drained as he stumbled back, Scott and Ramona gasping in the water, beginning to grow limp. Harry took a step forward. Maybe he could Apparate and Disapparate them out... He didn't want to try blasting them out, not if he could help it.

"Cole, do it again!" Captain America yelled, holding up his shield. Cole nodded, focusing and drawing on the downed TV sets, feeling the power plug. Electricity surged into his body. Hopefully it would be enough. "Harry, stop this!"

Captain America threw his shield at Hydro-Man, and Cole brought his hands down again. Harry focused, pointing his wand and stopping the shield as it came into Hydro-Man, focusing on keeping it there as the lightning shot down into Hydro-Man.

This time Hydro-Man cried out, dropping Scott and Ramona as the lightning conducted through the shield in him, spasming in pain. He twitched, stumbling around before Cole finally ran out of power, sloshing on the ground, running down into the storm drain.

Cole collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily, then looked up towards Scott and Ramona, who weren't moving. Grunting with effort he stumbled forward, placing his hand on another electric outlet, absorbing some energy as he stumbled towards Scott first.

Lightning sparked from his hands, and Scott jerked, eyes widening as he woke up, sputtering out water, then turned to throw up. Cole then moved towards Ramona, repeating the process, the girl coughing up water, before Cole collapsed back on his knees, feeling tired...

Across from the other rooftop, Leonardo quickly scaled up, only for a large man in a purple and red suit to appear, grabbing him hard and throwing him to the ground. Leonardo rolled, barely avoiding the man's foot as it came down hard, cracking the rooftop below them.

"Normally we get paid to take on the spider fellow, but a job's a job," a southern drawl said. Leonardo turned to the figure, a man wearing a yellow and red suit, the yellow with some criss crossing lines, and two metal discs on his arms, along with a metallic belt with a yellow stylized 'T' on it.

"Name's Shocker, and these are my Enforcers!" Shocker said to Leonardo, bringing his hands forward and shooting out a blast of sound. Leonardo dodged the attack, barely, as he flipped on the ground, producing one of his swords.

"I have two hostiles here on the roof, could use some help," Leonardo said, tapping the communications device on his head now. He paused though, as the one known as Shocker laughed.

"Boy, you hard of hearing? Guess you might be, you're some kind of lizard," Shocker said.

"Actually boss, I think he's a turtle," the larger one said, speaking up now.

"Aww, don't matter much what he is, Ox," Shocker said, "Can't realize I said Enforcer_s_," Shocker said, then Leonardo's eyes widened as a third, smaller figure appeared, bouncing off the roof and slamming into him, knocking him back.

A repulsor blast ripped through the air, hitting the third Enforcer as he bounded into the air, knocking him backwards.

"Looks like the other guy in the suit is back up," Shocker said idly, then turned to the third Enforcer, who was sitting back up. "Ricochet, get 'im."

Ricochet nodded, Ox holding out his arms, Ricochet jumping in them, Ox heaving Ricochet into the air.

Iron Man was taken by surprise, Ricochet slamming into him and knocking him backwards, scrambling as the man bounced back to the roof, Shocker pointing his gauntlets towards him.

"Know a few wealthy men who would pay good money to see who's behind that mask," Shocker said.

A blast of energy shot at him, Shocker reacting barely in time and dodging the attack, Mega Man having climbed up the fire escape, his Mega Buster glowing as he prepared another shot.

Ox came forward, bringing his fists down at Mega Man. His armor shifted to an off white color, and he brought his buster downwards, sending out a wave of energy, knocking Ox backwards.

"Be careful, these three are good!" Leonardo said, swiping his sword at Ricochet, who merely ducked out of the way, faster then Leo was expecting, kicking him backwards.

Iron Man shot downwards, tackling Ox now, the big man spinning around and grabbing the armored figure, grunting with exertion as he fought the armored hero back, leaving Mega Man to deal with Shocker, shifting back to his blue colored armor.

"I don't like fightin' a kid, but that doesn't mean I can't show you your place," Shocker said, pointing his gauntlets at Mega Man, then fired a blast of sound at him.

Mega Man was knocked backwards, stumbling as Shocker poured on the power.

_/Analyzing Battle Data/_

Mega Man's eyes opened wide as numbers and figures flashed across his screen, the Blue Bomber starting to realize what this meant...

_/Copying Battle Data/_

Mega Man's armor shifted, turning yellow with criss-crossed lines, much like part of Shocker's, and he brought his Mega Buster up, and fired his own sonic attack, matching the frequency of his opponent's.

"What in tarnation? He's copied my tech!" Shocker shouted, then began to increase the frequency.

"Ohhh, sonic technology? A bit... crude, but the same basic concept..."

Shocker turned his head, pausing as a blonde haired lady pulled herself up unto the roof, staring at him now.

"Who the hell are you, lady?" Shocker scowled, "Get out of here!"

Jenny smiled, producing her Sonic Flashlight, then pointed it at Shocker.

His gauntlets suddenly started to spark, failing him as he stepped back. Mega Man's own sonic attack hit him full force... and did nothing, Shocker just laughing.

"Hah! My suit stops me from being hurt by my own attacks, so you can't get me with a blasted copy!" Shocker grinned.

Mega Man just smirked, stopping his attack as he shifted back to his normal blue color, then pointed his blaster again.

There was a loud thump, Shocker turning as he saw Ox and Ricochet deposited by him, knocked out with their own suits disabled. Iron Man pointed one his hands forward, glowing with a repulsor blast, while Leonardo held out one of his swords, both staring at Shocker.

"Here's the thing. Either tell us who sent you after us, or you get to wake up with one heck of a headache on Ryker's," Iron Man said, his repulsor glowing a little brighter.

"Heh, who said we were paid to go after you? No, we and the others were paid to go after Cole Macgrath... He's wanted by a surprisingly large amount of people..." Shocker smirked.

"...Others?" Iron Man said, and Leonardo's eyes widened.

A blast of ice came from the sky now, and laughter filled the air as the heroes dodged to the side, as a figure stood on a bridge of ice, the one doing the laughing.

"I guess that wrestler is smarter then he looks!" the woman laughed. She had short blue hair, wearing a blue corset with long blue gloves and boots, her skin a light blue color as well.

"Pepper, who is this?" Tony asked as he stared at the woman, thinking he should get his Artic Suit ready.

"Uhhhh, running a check," Pepper said, back in the Armory, "Let's see... Crystal Frost. A.k.a. 'Killer Frost.' Oh, real original... Ummm... iced based powers, obviously, duh. Does work for hire, sometimes independent though..."

"Right... Well let's see how she likes this!" Iron Man yelled. Two shoulder mounted mini rocket launchers shot up, shooting upwards at Killer Frost, who merely dove ahead, the missiles missing her completely, twisting in the air before they exploded.

"Heat seeking missiles, really?" Killer Frost laughed. She shot a blast of ice from her hand, only for a wave of sound to knock her to the side in the air, Mega Man shifting to a yellow color.

As they went to deal with Killer Frost, Captain America walked over to Cole, bending down to check on him.

He paused partway there, turning as a large figure wearing black pants and tank top appeared, leaping upwards on top the building and landing with a thud.

He wore a white and black mask over his face, and he grinned at those on the roof. He wore a strange glove on his left hand, a tube running from it up to the back of his head.

"I doubted that self grandizing idiota would be able to beat the likes of you, Captain America," the man said, speaking with a South American accent. "Nor would he fare any better against this Demon of New York City."

He took a step forward, glancing towards Scott and Ramona for a second, who were starting to get back up, then shrugged, bringing his foot up, intending to smash Scott beneath his feet.

Captain America dove forward, bringing his shield around and slamming it into the man, who grabbed it with one hand, the two at a brief stalemate.

"I have already once broken The Bat! I can break you as well, Captain!" the man shouted, laughing as Rogers jumped back, then charged again, bringing his shield up for a bash. The masked man dodged it, stepping aside and sticking out his foot, tripping Captain America who rolled as he fell, once more using his shield as a balance as he got back up, swinging his shield arm around.

The masked man grabbed the edge of the shield with both hands now, and the two wrestled for a moment, when Cap merely let go. The masked man stumbled backwards, holding the shield now, only for a large mallet to come from behind, slamming into the man's back, knocking him forward unto his knees, dropping the shield.

"I don't know who you are, but you've lost. Stay down," Captain America said, Ramona holding up her mallet behind the masked man, ready to attack again, Scott now struggling upwards, getting his energy back, Zeke helping Cole to another source of electricity on the roof.

"Heh... you do not know who you are dealing with, el viejo," the man said, and twisted the dial on his hand. Green liquid suddenly shot up to his head, his eyes dilating as he roared, standing up quickly. His already large muscles bulged now, growing larger.

"Now you deal with Bane!" the masked man roared, then charged at Captain America. He brought his fist down, Captain America dodging the attack, Bane smashing through the roof, turning as Ramona ran forward. He grabbed the mallet, ripping it from Ramona's hands and tossing it over the roof. Ramona took a step back, shifting her feet on the ground.

"Try this then!" Harry yelled, twisting his wand around. Bane was suddenly lifted into the air by his ankle, hanging there. He simply laughed, reaching downwards and ripping out a chunk of the roof, tossing it at Harry.

Harry was forced to defend himself, dropping Bane who caught himself with one of his hand, then pushed upwards, landing on his feet.

Bane paused as several glowing orbs were suddenly stuck to his chest, Cole back up and running with an infusion of electricity, the electric man grinning.

The orbs of electricity exploded, sending Bane to stumble back. Captain America took the opportunity to move forward, hitting Bane repeatedly with rapid fire blows. Bane scowled, taking the hits with relative ease as he brought his arms down to grab Captain America.

Slash! Something moved past Bane, the tube connecting to his supply of Venom being cut, green liquid sloshing out as Bane froze.

Scott spun his sword around, grinning as he pointed it at Bane, "I think you qualify as a boss, so you get the sword!"

Bane stumbled back, his muscle mass decreasing as the constant supply of Venom had been interrupted, the masked man feeling himself grow weaker.

Captain America grabbed his shield, then flung it at Bane, knocking him backwards over the roof, where he fell with a thud at the bottom, groaning, but still alive.

A flash of ice, and they looked up across the rooftops, where Killer Frost darted around on ice slides, Mega Man and Iron Man firing at her, trying to knock her out of the sky, while Jenny and Leonardo watched her movements.

Killer Frost then darted forward suddenly, and Leonardo jumped upwards, taking the psycho for hire by surprise, his swords slashing in the air, one cutting through the ice and leaving her unsupported, the other turning to it's blunt edge as it hit her in the back of her head, knocking her out.

Iron Man rocketed forward, grabbing Leonardo, Killer Frost falling and hitting the ground in the alleyway by Bane, groaning softly.

"Risky there," Iron Man said, and flew over to Cole's rooftop, placing the turtle down there, "And damn it... It looks like those Enforcers got away in the confusion..."

"We still have those two down there to ask questions of," Captain America said, looking downwards. Iron Man nodded, flying back over and helping Jenny and Mega Man across, the blue armor wearing young teen shifting out of his armor for now.

"That will not be necessary," another new voice said, smirking.

They turned as they saw a man with black hair and dark eyes, standing next to Zeke, who had his hands up. The man's right hand was morphed into some kind of blade, pressed close to Zeke's throat.

"What do you want?" Captain America demanded, Cole scowling as his electricity sparked as well.

"Relax, I'm just here to give you a message. From Kessler," the man grinned, "Name's Matt Hagen."

"...The actor?" Leonardo said, surprising everyone.

"...One of my brothers watched a lot of movies with him in it," Leonardo said after a moment.

"Hah! Didn't expect the turtle to be the one to recognize me," Hagen laughed, "But the rest of you _might_ know me better under a different name."

Suddenly his form began to shift and change, though the blade stayed by Zeke's throat, and a monstrous form of what looked like earth stood there.

"Clayface is the name," Hagen said, "And Kessler asked me to deliver a message." He reached into himself with his free hand, producing a small tablet device, and tossed it. Captain America caught it, then Clayface smiled.

"Good luck, by the way," Clayface smirked. He grabbed Zeke and pushed him forward suddenly, then jumped off the roof.

Iron Man ran forward, looking downwards. There was a small crowd that had formed, but scattering now that Clayface had leaped downwards, but he couldn't find him in the figures that were running... he must have shifted again.

Captain America sighed, looking at the tablet, "I'm still trying to catch up on seventy years of tech, someone else know how to work this thing?"

Ramona took the tablet, Cole checking on Zeke to make sure he was alright.

"I'm fine man," Zeke said, "He just took me surprise. Wouldn't have happened if I had super powers too, you know."

"Right man," Cole said, "I believe you."

"Cole."

Cole and Zeke looked up at the word, a video playing on the tablet. Cole's eyes widened, and he moved forward, starring at the tablet as Ramona held it out to be watched.

"Cole..." a young woman on the screen said, a young woman in scrubs, with short brown hair. "I... They want me to record this. A message to you. Some man named Kessler, some group calling themselves 'The First Sons.' He says you need to come alone. Said you'll get the address at the end of this video..."

"Trish..." Cole said, staring at the video, "They better not have done anything..."

Trish continued to speak, unable to hear him, the words prerecorded.

"They told me you're responsible for all this. For the blast... for... my sister..." Trish said. A look of anger paused over her, but whether it was for Cole, her captors, or both, Cole couldn't tell. "And if you don't come alone... They'll kill me, Cole."

The screen then went dark, and an address was displayed, Cole memorizing it quickly, before the screen went black completely.

"Cole..." Zeke said, reaching for his friend, who knocked his hand away.

"I'm going after Trish. And I'm going alone," Cole said. He took a running leap, jumping off the building. He grabbed the ledge of a window as he fell on the next roof over, before he scampered up and started across the rooftops.

"Should we follow him?" Scott wondered, before the screen suddenly came on again.

"Hello," an old man said, "My name is Kessler... and Cole should be gone by now, leaving just you heroes... I have a message for you."

He smiled slightly, and the screen changed, showing an image of the Ray Sphere.

"The Ray Sphere... what started this all," Kessler's voice said, "I will activate it again... unless you can stop it."

Another address appeared, Iron Man frowning.

"That's almost across the island from Cole..." Iron Man said, "He's not taking chances on us backing up Cole."

"It will detonate in thirty minutes. Good luck," Kessler said, then the screen went blank again.

Captain America sighed, shaking his head, "Okay, we're going to split up. Iron Man, Harry, Jenny, and Scott, you four head to the Ray Sphere and retrieve it. Iron Man and Jenny are the best with tech, and Harry can take Scott with his, well, broom."

"And beat down any bad guys who try to stop us!" Scott grinned, clenching a fist, Cap just nodding.

"Meanwhile, I need Ramona, Rock, and Leonardo with me," Captain America said, "We'll go and help Cole... but we'll have to be careful about it."

"I shall be as invisible as the shadow," Leonardo nodded.

"We'll stop these bad guys! We'll avenge everyone they've killed, and all the lives they've destroyed..." Mega Man nodded, his armor appearing around him now.

Zeke paused, rubbing his chin then grinned.

"You guys need a name," Zeke said, "The Avengers! Hah, catchy, ain't it?"

The others glanced towards each other, not sure what to say.

"Ohhh, I like it!" Pepper said to Tony over their own communications, Tony just sighing.

"We are a team," Leonardo suddenly said, "A group... We are not bonded by blood... but we are bonded by something now. We are on this mission together, even if we separate."

Captain America nodded, "Names are good for a team... Alright then."

He held out his hand, "Avengers... Assemble!"

Everyone, minus Zeke, put their hand in, nodding towards each other.

"Alright everyone, let's go!" Iron Man said, boosting upwards, carrying Jenny.

"Accio Firebolt," Harry said, summoning his broom.

Soon everyone was heading off, Zeke watching them go, who then rubbed his chin.

"Hmmm..." he said to himself then headed for the fire escape. He climbed down, then started off himself.

* * *

><p>Bane was starting to regain consciousness when a figure walked down the alleyway, wearing a long black coat. The figure stared at Bane, then waved his hand. Bane was suddenly lifted up, slamming into the wall.<p>

The figure had slicked back black hair, with brown eyes. He stared at Bane, then sighed, raising his hand. Bane slid down, the man shaking his head, before he stopped as he stared at Killer Frost.

"Oh... you will do..." the man said, grinning. Killer Frost was lifted into the air, and pinned against the brickwork. Killer Frost lulled, starting to regain consciousness. "Oh... might be best if you don't wake up..."

A thin blood line appeared across Killer Frost's forehead, and the woman started to scream. It didn't last long, Bane watching in horror as the man did his work.

A couple minutes later then man stopped by Bane, the masked man staring at him.

"El diablo..." Bane muttered, and the man grinned. He reached down, past Bane and dipping his bloody fingers into a pool of water in a hole by Bane. Bane was a killer, a gun for hire... but what that man did...

"No... not him," the man said, standing up straight now, turning his back to Bane, "But I left my name."

Bane looked back towards the wall at the bloody mess, where in blood were three words written on the walls.

"I Am Sylar."

* * *

><p>A.N. Soooooo sorry for the wait. I feel really bad for taking so long. I hope the next chapter will be up sooner.<p>

Anyways, hope you have enjoyed this chapter! Cole needs to try and save Trish, but Kessler's threatening to detonate the Ray Sphere again! And what is Zeke up to?

New characters shown:

Hydro-Man from _Marvel_

The Enforcers (Shocker, Ox, and Ricochet) from _The Spectacular Spider-Man_

Killer Frost from _ DC_

Bane and Matt Hagen/Clayface from _Batman_ (mostly the Animated Series version)

Sylar from _Heroes_


End file.
